15-year-old alleged rape victim in Maldives to be flogged

Yet another country unable to leave the Dark Ages... this poor girl should be helped, not flogged. Another country to avoid.

Someone should flog the Maldives if they go through with this.

Well that makes crossing off the Maldives on the "to visit" list easy.

Now this is the kind of country worth fighting. Totally unacceptable behavior by the government. All those government officials should be flogged. Disgusting.

tmarie, so true. A place with barbaric laws is a no-go.

3 years until she turns 18. Time for somewhere more civlilised to step up and offer her asylum.

And Maldives is off my list too now.

What type of backward, immoral and barbaric religion would endorse this torture against a poor child? Shame on them and their followers. I just hope the poor girl is OK - and receives asylum in a safe nation.

That is islamic law. Why Western tourists still visit Shariah countries and thus support them with their money is a mystery to me.

Agreed BurakuminDes ! These laws arise from pure misogynism - - - I also hope this traumatized young girl can apply for refugee status/ or asylum to some enlightened western country before she is 18 - --

what about her stepfather who raped her? He deserves1000 lashes.

Well that makes crossing off the Maldives on the "to visit" list easy.

Was going to go there this fall on vacation, already was getting ready to book the room, so now it looks like Vienna, here I come. Maldives will NEVER see my money for the next foreseeable future.

Seems everyone is against this. Strange that no one has said why exactly. This leaves me to wonder if its because flogging should not be a punishment, because some mistakenly think she will be flogged before 18, because some think 15 year olds should be immune from the law, because rape victims should, or just because its shariah and those darned Muslims again.

How many actually read past the headline? She is not going to be flogged for being a rape victim. She is going to be flogged for willingly having had extra-marital sex with another man. Any other Sunday, it seems people are all for punishing teens as adults and are quick to point out that the law is the law so just don't break it and you will be fine. All told, I am a bit confused as to what exactly everyone here is thinking.

Here is my take: Bottom line, she has suffered enough. If anyone thinks extra-marital sex should be punished, she has been punished already. Raped by her step-father? Hey, where were these police and judges while that was going on, hmmm? To have her baby taken from her and murdered too? Definitely, this girl has paid her dues already. Now, here is the rub: I don't think I have ever heard a court make such a decision anywhere in the world. I know of no country with courts that would say, okay, this person has suffered enough, so we will overlook this infraction of the law.

So while I don't agree with the court or even the law against extra-marital sex, I find all this talk of Maldives being barbaric a bit far-fetched if its based only on this case.

Steve ChristianFeb. 27, 2013 - 07:32PM JST Seems everyone is against this. Strange that no one has said why exactly.

Okay, I'll say why I think this is an unfair punishment since you're curious.

She's a child who in most countries would be unable to legally consent to sexual intercourse. In a relationship between a child and an adult the child is generally held to be guiltless since they're easy to manipulate and generally unaware of the full consequences of their actions.

She was repeatedly raped by her stepfather, and undoubtedly has some very warped ideas about the place of sex in a normal relationship. What she needs is counselling and understanding, not to be further brutalised by caning.

Islamic Sharia law is based on ideas and principles that are hundreds of years out of date, and cannot be updated since they are religious dogma rather than logically thought out. Furthermore, despite Islam's protestations to the contrary, it is exclusively the province of men, and as such tends to be unfair and unrepresentative.

I think these are sufficient reasons, and sincerely hope that this young woman applies for asylum in a country like the U.K. where she can receive counselling.

Seems everyone is against this. Strange that no one has said why exactly.

Perhaps because the reasons should be self evident? If not, Frungy has done an excellent job of spelling it out.

So, she's having sex with another man while having done to her by her father?

So, she's having sex with another man while having done to her by her father?

Yes. Is there a point to your question?

If anyone believes that Islam is a "religion of peace", the truth should be clear. What a hideous, barbaric culture.

Another rotten Islamic theocracy. Don't go there.

that is perfect logic! flog and jail a girl for premarital sex but only give some jail time to the guy. It takes TWO to have consented sex if they are going to punish one they should punish the other (though I don't think anybody should be punished for having sex before marriage!)

The nation...has been practising a liberal form of Islam for centuries. ....The Maldives continues to subject women to flogging.

Well, that's "liberal" Islam for you. When will people learn that there is no such thing as "moderate Islam." It's all nasty, nasty, nasty stuff that has no place in an enlightened society.

Usagito Saru:

" hat is perfect logic! flog and jail a girl for premarital sex but only give some jail time to the guy. It takes TWO to have consented sex "

This has nothing to with logic. It is simply Sharia -- islamic law. Which means that judgement is based on the koran and on the behaviour of the prophet. Literally. And that does not leave room for logic or for humane sentences.

Yes, there are moderate countries with islamic majorities, but none of them practises Sharia. Once a country adopts Sharia, like the Maledives did, moderation goes out of the window.

Nothing new under that sun. The Maldives have 3 seperate incidents that happened about 7+ years ago that had put it off my list a long time ago... now its gone up to 4. Another Islamic government in showing offf its finest glory. First one was a non-Maldivian couple from the EU who were getting married in the Maldives were subjugated to the person who was performing the marriage rights in his own language definitely not saying marriage rights but outright insulting the couple as whores and pigs. 2nd situation was there was a law passed in the Maldives stating that the only way to become a citizen of the country one HAS to be muslim... how is that for no coercion of religious freedom? 3rd a Maldivian man who was tired of the Islamic beliefs and recognized it for what it was, announced his apostacy from Islam and said he was an atheist. First he was tossed in prison, and was claimed to have commited suicide after "discovering" how wrong he was to leave the "amazing" religion that is Islam. So he was never heard of again... And now we have the 4th which is pretty much what happens in the majority of Islamic theocracies (we're talking 99% here folks which may exclude Turkey and Morocco)... a woman has no rights when she's either physically abused or sexually assaulted. If she gets raped she's at fault and punished. If she's having sexual relations outside of marriage she gets punished.

@Steve Christian,

Seems everyone is against this. Strange that no one has said why exactly.

If you can't figure it out yourself, then I guess I'll have to spell it out for you: Pre-marital sex is not a crime anywhere that's not controlled by Islamic law. It's discouraged and frowned-upon, BUT IT'S NOT A CRIME. ALL theocracies are backwards and barbaric.

this is why religion and state should be separated

If you can't figure it out yourself

Everyone seems awful grumpy today. Is it the weather? I did answer that for myself. But I think it presumptuous to answer for YOU FOLKS. So asked. Never thought I would get raked over the coals for asking!

I, like you, think the crux of the whole issue is having premarital sex as a crime. Others just seem to be against Islam and Shariah automatically.

Pre-marital sex is not a crime anywhere that's not controlled by Islamic law.

Yeah. But on the other hand you won't go to jail for having two wives. No country is perfect! Wherever you go, you get some freedoms and you don't get others.

And while I don't agree with the flogging, it might be better than a few years in jail. Flogging will be finished in less than a hour. Again, I don't agree with it though.

According to Muslim philosophy she didn't commit a crime against Islam or a crime against another person. She committed a crime against the potential child that she could have conceived out of wedlock.

Just to clarify, she isn't being flogged for being a rape victim, she's being flogged according to a ruling on another matter, the fact that she had consensual sex outside the bonds of marriage and hence could have conceived a child without a father.

The rape is indeed horrible but it doesn't absolve the victim of other pending charges. Western law is the same. If a rape victim robs a bank, the theft charge doesn't get dropped simply because the perpetrator was raped in another incident. Each case is handled individually.

The crux of the issue is that "government" is stepping to "discipline and punish" a situation based on religious ideology. As for being against Islam and shariah automatically... the actions of Islam and sharia speak louder than words. Most people with a brain are against ideologies that incite people to harm each other and disregard basic human rights.

The girls "Stepfather" will be getting 25yrs to life for Murdering his victims child, I say LONG LIFE to him! as for this flogging ,it beats Prison for ten years if that is the boyfreinds punishment.

Frungy: She's a child who in most countries would be unable to legally consent to sexual intercourse. In a relationship between a child and an adult the child is generally held to be guiltless since they're easy to manipulate and generally unaware of the full consequences of their actions. In the US, the age of the person being prosecuted for consensual relations is not taken into account either. According to the US Department of Justice, the median age of persons convicted of crimes of this type is 14. Since they are too young to consent, surely they must be too young to prosecute, by this theory. Are you stating that this type of prosecution is wrong just in the Maldives or also in the United States?

PolymathFeb. 27, 2013 - 11:19PM JST Just to clarify, she isn't being flogged for being a rape victim, she's being flogged according to a ruling on another matter, the fact that she had consensual sex outside the bonds of marriage and hence could have conceived a child without a father.

... so the fact that she'd been repeatedly raped from a young age, had no idea what constituted a proper relationship, and is generally a very traumatised, very messed up kid, has no impact? In Sharia law it doesn't since the religious laws allow for no leniency, no taking into account of circumstance, and are quite literally "by the book". This is one of the big problems with Sharia law, the other is that actually they could have let her off scott free:

Sûrah an Nûr 24.33 .. And do not, in order to gain some of the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your slave women into whoredom if they are desirous of marriage, and if anyone should coerce them, then, verily, after they have been compelled (to submit in their helplessness), God will be much forgiving, a dispenser of grace (to them).

and

During the time of the Prophet (saw) punishment was inflicted on the rapist on the solitary evidence of the woman who was raped by him. Wa'il ibn Hujr reports of an incident when a woman was raped. Later, when some people came by, she identified and accused the man of raping her. They seized him and brought him to Allah's messenger, who said to the woman, "Go away, for Allâh has forgiven you," but of the man who had raped her, he said, "Stone him to death." (Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)

This girl was not in any position, psychologically, to consent to any relationship, she had a severely warped view of relationships because of the incest and rape she had suffered, and as such there IS scope under Sharia Law to release her without punishment. This is the second problem with Sharia Law, that it is administered by a bunch of old men who have no understanding of the deep and permanent psychological trauma this girl suffered, nor do they care. They could have found a way to exonerate her, they chose not to.

Lois MarshallFeb. 28, 2013 - 02:27AM JST In the US, the age of the person being prosecuted for consensual relations is not taken into account either. According to the US Department of Justice, the median age of persons convicted of crimes of this type is 14. Since they are too young to consent, surely they must be too young to prosecute, by this theory. Are you stating that this type of prosecution is wrong just in the Maldives or also in the United States?

If there's a consensual relationship between a 14 year old boy and a 14 year old girl in the U.S. then normally the girl is viewed as the victim, and escapes any punishment, and (unless there are extenuating circumstances, like violence) then the boy is normally tried in juvenile court and gets a light sentence (at worst time in a juvenile facility for a couple of years). I don't agree with this, and some states in the U.S. have "Romeo and Juliet" clauses that allow underage couples who are similar in age to engage in sex without risking criminal charges. This article doesn't say what the age the girl's "lover" was though.

Most importantly though, Judges in the U.S. (and other Western countries) are typically allowed latitude to consider "extenuating factors", and they often significantly reduce sentences or dismiss cases entirely if they feel that the case merits it.

Yes, sometimes there are miscarriages of justice, but generally the Judges in Western countries go out of their way to avoid giving harsh punishments when there was no criminal intent.

Uncivilized law and uncivilized society. Sorry for the poor girl she has been raped and now they wanted to flog her for being rape victim.

Thank god Mexico and Latin America have none of these barbaric laws! Maldives?? Nah! I would not give them 1 red cent! Poor girl, her step dad was doing her and what about the MOM?? Was the mom not there to see her man doing her daughter?? We need more INFORMATION! Anyway, this is why I would avoid these countries with Sharia Law, pick on a a girl at a bar and next you or she or the both of you face 100 lashes??? Screw that! I can just imagine in Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, CanCun, Acapulco "Oh let me buy you are Corona" then the religious police would come out, BURN IN HELL, but before that let us give you 100 lashes in public and then chop your heads off in public TALIBAN STYLE?? Not my cup of tea!

So, she's having sex with another man while having done to her by her father?

Yes. Is there a point to your question?

Besides ya answering it, just seems like the experience didn't turn her against.......... the experience. Good for her, we guess.

It's nice to see the Maldives stepping boldly from the 20th century back to the 8th. This is a disturbing pattern all over the Islamic world. Formerly modern/secular nations (Iran, Egypt) are becoming more and more backwards and intolerant.