Gulnaz is not out of jail, even after the absurd exercise of having to be pardoned for being raped. Apparently the jail has not received the official pardon order, and to make matters worse, the rapist's father is attempting to intimidate her with repeated visits while she waits. An update on this story. "Afghan rape victim still in jail despite pardon: lawyer," from Agence France-Presse, December 12:
An Afghan woman who was jailed for adultery after being raped remains in prison more than 10 days after President Hamid Karzai ordered her release, her lawyer said on Monday.
Gulnaz, who has already served two years in prison after a relative raped her at her home, should have been released within 48 hours and there was "no good reason" for her to remain behind bars, Kimberley Motley said.
Her case highlights the poor state of women's rights in Afghanistan, 10 years after a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban who were notorious for their harsh laws against women.
Following an outcry over her situation, Karzai called a meeting where judicial officials decided to pardon her, presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi told AFP on December 1.
Hundreds of women and girls as young as 12 remain in jail for so-called "moral crimes." Gulnaz' pardon was a face-saving move, not reform, and for those prisoners, nothing has changed.
But the officials also advised that Gulnaz should marry the man who attacked her, due to fears she could be in danger if released because of the stigma surrounding her attack in ultra-conservative Afghanistan.
Motley said there were no conditions set on Gulnaz's release and she would need time to decide what to do. But she also voiced concern that her client was being visited in jail by her attacker's father.
"She's still locked up and there's no good reason for it," Motley said. "Since the president has announced that he is going to issue a pardon she continues to be visited by the attacker's father.
"That's not appropriate. It's very disturbing. He's not a blood relative."
Gulnaz has been raising the child she had by her attacker in a prison cell in Kabul.
"She's anxious to leave and to be free. She's anxious to know what's going on," Motley said.
"She was told by the committee she would be released within two days."
Given the institutions they are dealing with, they would have needed to specify which two days.
Officials said the order had been sent to the ministry of justice but was being processed through various offices.
"We have already sent out the pardon letter. It does take a while until the cycle and process is finished," a presidential spokesman said.
"We have not officially received the pardon order, but we know it is on its way," ministry of justice spokesman Farid Ahmad Najeebi said.
"It takes a while until it reaches us because it has to go to the president's public affairs department, and several other offices before it reaches us. But we are expecting it soon."...
Remember that the prison is in Kabul, where the government is. This document is not meandering out to Herat or Mazar-e-Sharif. Even so, it seems ridiculous that a fax or phone call could not speed the process along. Rather, it is likely a question of priorities.
Rape Victim in Jail. That really tells you everything you need to know about the religion which cannot be named.
This post is in full compliance with the latest sharia as revealed to Obama (pbuh).
Another example of Islamic justice. The victim of a crime is jailed while her attacker runs free. On top of that, what do the officials think the attacker's father wants to visit the victim for? It is pure intimidation. The world community ought to be raising cain. Where is the NOW when you need them. Why is the US gov't doing so little to help this lady. She gets raped (bad enough) and then she is imprisoned. And some folks think Sharia law is ok? Just what we need in the US, we want to keep those Muslims happy. Where is the outcry of American Muslim community, you know the ones who are supposed to be so "American". Very little is said by those who are "enlightened". The Obama administration does very little to help this brave young lady. She needs to feel like there are those who are in her corner.
Ronald,
I'm curious as to why you think it is up to the US government "to help this brave young lady"?
The usual tactic of Muslims defending Sharia is to say that obviously vicious states such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not really practicing the benign Sharia that they know. Just like the female genital mutilation practiced in many Muslim countries is not mandated by Sharia (supposedly).
Of course, this begs the question. If Islam is so special, why does it not serve as a brake to the vicious "regional" practices of countries such as Pakistan? The fact is, the strongest defense of Islam that can be made is that it is constantly being misinterpreted. Otherwise, the case against Islam is obvious and intuitive.
The IRA of Ireland was populated by Catholics, but the popes had strong condemnation for the violence of the IRA.
"moral crimes"
There is no morality in Islam. It's the filthiest religion ever invented.
The definition of "morality" in Islam is: Whatever Muhammad did.
Muhammad, the founder of Islam, lift up the shirt of a young boy and KISSED his PENIS.
THAT's how low Islam is.
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/04/penis-and-prophet-un-penis-et-un.html
Gulnaz, who has already served two years in prison after a relative raped her at her home
................................
Note this, as well. Gulnaz was *in her own home*. She did not associate with any males except for blood relatives and in-laws.
She did everything a "good" Muslimah is to do.
And it didn't help her. It didn't stop her from being raped, and imprisoned, and threatened by her family—including her attacker.
As Salah notes, *There is no morality in Islam*.