Islam has a violently poor reputation for 'equal protection under the law' in regards to those of different religions and gender - particularly women & girls. So much so that we, on this blog, frequently refer to Islam as the 'religion of brutalizing & murdering women':
Afghanistan Legalizes Marital Rape; restricts Work & Education for Women to Husband's Permission.
But only for the ten percent Shi'ite Muslim population.
"According to the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, the legislation says that Afghan Shi'ite women will not have the right to leave their homes except for "legitimate" purposes, and forbids women from working or receiving education without their husbands' express permission.
The legislation explicitly permits marital rape by saying that a wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband. It reportedly diminishes the right of mothers to be their children's guardians in the event of a divorce. And it makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands -- even though husbands may inherit property from their wives.
Tell me again why we're over there fighting the fascist Taliban??
"Reports say that Karzai initially signed the law under pressure from influential Shi'ite clerics in order to secure the vote of the Hazaras, a major and predominantly Shi'ite ethnic group in Afghanistan, in the upcoming presidential election.
Sabrina Saqib, an Afghan parliamentarian, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the legislation was passed hastily in an effort to address religious sensitivities. She said the various articles of the law were not even read aloud, as is standard practice in parliament.
The arguments were based on Shari'a and religious laws, and there are always disagreement on these issues among clerics, lawmakers, and politicians," Saqib said. "Unfortunately the sensitivities prevented us from studying the law article by article, and it was voted in as a package."
Unfortunately, that's not all.
Taliban Video Shows Teen Girl Beaten for 'Adultery'.Pakistani Girl's Alleged Crime Was Hosting a Man in Her Home."
"No evidence of such a relationship was ever given, but the rumor of such a relationship, according to the local Taliban spokesman, was actually enough to be stoned to death. The punishment in this case, he told a local TV channel, was "lenient."
Obviously, a surprisingly 'lenient' religion because this poor young woman is not alone in her flogging:
Around 25 publicly flogged in 2 years by Taliban.
"As the Taliban consolidated their control over Swat, a scenic valley located just 160 km from Islamabad, courts run by the militants punished about 25 men by lashing them in public.
Drug addicts are routinely flogged whenever they are caught using narcotics. The Taliban publicly caned two butchers in Ningolay village of Swat some time ago for selling the meat of dead animals.
They also flogged two men in the same village for committing "unnatural sexual offences"."
The Koran and Sharia law are often cited as the authority for this 'leniency'. It's also cited for keeping young girls without education & ignorant of modern information:
Taliban Militants Destroy 100 Mostly for Girl Schools."The Taliban have destroyed or closed all schools for girls in Pakistan's Swat Valley, deeming that their education need not continue after the age of eight. The Pakistani government is powerless in the matter.
The state’s passivity benefits insurgents, whose tactic is simple: destroy static structures to be replaced by others that are more in keeping with Islamic law. Muslim Khan, spokesperson for the Talibani in the Swat Valley, told FRANCE 24 a few weeks ago, "We destroy schools because the teaching does not correspond to that which children should learn."
Sharia law. Gotta luv it. Coming soon to a North American continent near you.