As is made clear by the Aceh politician’s remark last year, “when women don’t dress according to sharia law, they”re asking to get raped,” this attitude stems from the Sharia-rooted belief that it is entirely the woman’s fault if she is raped. Women have to cover everything except their face and hands so that they don’t provoke men to attack them, and if they do get attacked, it is entirely their responsibility: men have no obligation to exercise self-control.
“Rape victims ‘enjoy it,’ Indonesia Supreme Court hopeful suggests,” by Emily Alpert in the Los Angeles Times, January 17 (thanks to Darcy):
An Indonesian Supreme Court
hopeful may have torpedoed his chances at the job after suggesting that
women might enjoy being raped, infuriating a wide array of critics.Daming Sanusi made the inflammatory remarks Monday while being
interviewed by a parliamentary panel for a seat on the Supreme Court.
When asked whether rapists should be put to death, Daming joked that
because both the rapist and the victim “enjoy it,” the court should
think twice about imposing the death penalty.Daming later apologized after his words set off an uproar in Indonesia, saying it was a poorly considered joke meant to ease the tension during his interview. In a tearful news conference Tuesday, Daming told reporters his statement was “out of control.”
Not “out of context”?
His words have already turned
two political parties against Daming and spurred condemnation from the
Judicial Commission, which recommends possible justices to Indonesian
lawmakers. Thousands of people signed online petitions to stop him from
being chosen for the top court.“Is it to be believed that a judge, who is supposed to uphold the
law, made the victims of rape a laughingstock?” Primastuti Handayani
wrote in an incensed commentary in the Jakarta
Post. On top of that, “what should have been a long, embarrassing
silence upon hearing Daming’s answer shockingly turned into a big joke,
as [officials on the panel] laughed along with the judge.”Others have stepped forward to defend him. “Nobody”s perfect “” it was
just a slip of the tongue,” Constitutional Court Justice Akil Mochtar told the Jakarta Globe.Daming has been a judge for more than two decades, according to
Indonesian media. The Judicial Commission is investigating whether
Daming ran afoul of its code of ethics with his remarks.Indonesian politicians have repeatedly gotten into hot water over
remarks about rape in recent years. Less than 18 months ago, after a
reported sharp increase in rape cases, a Jakarta official said women
shouldn’t wear miniskirts while riding on public transportation, lest
they arouse men and end up with “unwanted consequences.” Infuriated
protesters took to the streets in short skirts, hoisting signs that
denounced him for blaming the victims.A year earlier, another politician in Aceh, an autonomous area governed under religious law, was mocked after telling the Jakarta Globe that “when women don’t dress according to sharia law, they”re asking to get raped.”
Indonesia’s National Commission on Violence Against Women said
victims often avoid reporting rapes because of such attitudes. More than
4,000 sexual assault cases were reported in 2011, but many more
probably went unreported, it said Wednesday.