The Real War on Women

thIt’s been a busy week for the oppression of women under Islam.

A day or two before Americans sat down to turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan – President Obama’s best friend in the Middle East, a man who has made it abundantly clear how he feels about moderate Islam and who has warned that women shouldn’t laugh in public – further endeared himself to feminists everywhere at a summit hosted by an Istanbul-based women’s group when he declared that a woman cannot do every job that a man can do because “it is against her delicate nature.” He dug the hole deeper for himself by claiming that Islam dictated motherhood to be the primary role of women. However, he insisted that his government has always supported equal rights for women and always would.

If that’s true, then perhaps his government could turn its attention to the epidemic of honor murders being committed against Turkish women, many of whom were murdered for seeking to divorce their husbands. Last month in Istanbul, a young mother in the middle of divorce proceedings was stabbed to death by her husband in front of their child. Her murder is the latest of 287 cases documented by a Turkish human rights and advocacy group known as “We Will Stop Women Murders.”

As reported by Huffington Post, the numbers are up from 238 last year, including the slaying of a 30-year old mother of two seeking a divorce. Her abusive husband simply walked into the hair salon where she worked and stabbed her to death without a word. This was after having abused her, forcing a miscarriage, and holding her hostage in their home.

Despite its modern reputation, Turkey has some of the highest levels of violence against women in Europe (as well as some of the lowest levels of female participation in politics and education). Rights activists claim that violence against women has skyrocketed since 2003 when the Islamist AKP party came into power. According to the Turkish Ministry of Justice, from 2003 until 2010, there was a 1,400 percent increase in the number of murders of women.

“The AKP government came under harsh criticism after the release of this information,” says Pinar Tremblay, a Turkish journalist. “So in a last-ditch effort to save its reputation, [after 2010] it started altering the numbers.” The government simply did not report on thousands of women who were murdered, Tremblay says.

She puts forth three reasons why have the numbers increased so dramatically. First, the value of women in Turkish society has always been low, but it has sunk even lower in the ten years under the AKP. Second is the notion of honor; Turkish society traditionally blames the woman for a variety of offenses to honor such as seeking a divorce, and the harm done to a man’s reputation is considered a partial or complete justification for murder. As the Freedom Center’s own Robert Spencer writes, “No passage in the Koran discusses honor killings, but Muslim clerics justify them and secular Muslims either do not punish them or pass laws to mitigate punishment for them. With this, Muslims make honor killings a part of Islam.”

The third reason is leniency in punishment for honor violence. “If the murderer behaves properly, he can receive amnesty in a year or two,” says Tremblay. “This leniency feeds from the fact that a woman’s life is worthless in Turkey and encourages other murderers. Indeed, there have been police reports that perpetrators have Googled possible punishments they might receive before killing their woman,” she added.

Meanwhile in India, TV presenter and actress Gauhar Khan was assaulted last week by an audience member who thought her clothing bared too much skin. “Being a Muslim woman, she should not have worn such a short dress,” the man reportedly said when arrested for assault.

But Khan’s slap on the cheek was a slap on the wrist compared to Bollywood actress Veena Malik, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for blasphemy by Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court for appearing in a televised wedding scene based on the marriage of the Muslim prophet Muhammad’s daughter. Depictions of Muhammad are considered blasphemous under Islam. Malik has been a target of Islamic fundamentalists ever since a 2011 video interview in which she boldly lashed out at a mufti’s disapproval of her un-Islamic dress and behavior. 

The court also convicted Malik’s husband and the host of the show which aired the offending scene. Both were sentenced to 26 years in jail as well, and all three will have to pay an additional fine of nearly $50,000, surrender their passports and sell their properties. “The malicious acts of the proclaimed offenders ignited the sentiments of all the Muslims of the country,” the court order read, “and hurt their feelings, which cannot be taken lightly and there is need to strictly curb such tendency.”

Such mistreatment of women isn’t limited to Islamic territories. In England (although some could argue that England itself is now an Islamic territory), news broke last week that thirteen Somali men were convicted of a string of child sex abuse crimes in Bristol, and one of the convicted told the court that sharing girls for sex “was part of Somali culture” and “a religious requirement.” To quote Spencer again, “The savage exploitation of girls and young women is, unfortunately, a cross-cultural phenomenon, but only in Islamic law does it carry divine sanction”:

According to Islamic law, Muslim men can take “captives of the right hand” (Qur’an 4:3, 4:24, 33:50). The Qur’an says: “O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war” (33:50). 4:3 and 4:24 extend this privilege to Muslim men in general. The rape of captive women is also sanctioned in Islamic tradition.

The rape of captive women is the ongoing nightmare currently faced by the thousands of Kurdish and Yazidi women enslaved by the Islamic State. The practice “accords with Islamic law and the parameters of Islamic morality,” as Spencer noted in relation to a female Kuwaiti politician who spoke out in favor of the sexual slavery of non-Muslim women.

Meanwhile, in the Western media, the focus on the oppression of women is reserved for such idiocy as the “unattainable” waistlines on Disney princesses. Now that’s a real war on women.

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  • Bamaguje

    “Turkey has some of the highest levels of violence against women in Europe…” – Mark Tapson.

    Turkey isn’t in Europe. They want to join EU but aren’t yet in. Only a small part of Turkey is territorially in Europe. Most of it is in Middle east.

    “No passage in the Koran discusses honor killings, but Muslim clerics justify them…” – Robert Spencer.

    I disagree. Verse 15 of Sura An-Nisa reads – “If any of your women are indecent, call four witnesses and if they are found guilty lock them up till death overtakes them” – Quran 4:15.

    Furthermore, Quran 4:34 enjoins wife beating, thereby endorsing domestic violence against women. Murder is a logical consequence of such Islamic sanctioned violence against women.

    • Paul Gregory

      There is indeed a made-up passage justifying honor killings in the mohammedan bible 18:70-81, though it’s in a typically disjointed chapter called the Cave.
      Kiddah (who may be from heaven) and Moses are out walking. “They journeyed on until they fell in with a certain youth. Moses’ companion slew him, and Moses said “You have killed an innocent man who has slain no one. Surely you hve done a wicked thing.” “. Kiddah replies “As for the Youth, his parents both are true beleivers, and we (heaven) feared lest he should plague them with his wickedness and unbelief. It was our wish that their Lord should grant them another in his place, a son more righteous”.

      The youth was supposedly killed for being a plague to his parents, and having improper beliefs! Does that sound familiar at all?

  • Joe The Gentile

    Thanks Mark for being among the first to use the proper term ‘honor murders’ instead of the euphemism ‘honor killings’. It really bothers me when euphemisms are used for depravity, sometimes a form of unintended apologism– the worst of the lot is ‘grooming gangs’ instead of ‘child rape gangs’.

  • Rosasolis

    The problems in the Islamic communities in Europe are increasing and worsening
    by the day. This began 25 – 30 years ago when many “guest workers” from Turkey
    Marocco, and other Islamic countries returned from their vacation in their home-land, with a very young, uneducated bride. As their families grew, so did
    their communites expand and take over many well-known old districts in cities
    such as The Hague, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam (Netherlands). Mosques have been built throughout this country. Many problems are now occuring with the
    teeners and young people.
    Several Islamic schools have been forced to close lately because of providing
    poor education and spreading terrorist propaganda amongst the students (mainly boys). Several of these teeners have become school drop-outs and have been targeted
    by the Imams and the Mosque elders to be sent out to a Middle-east
    country such as Pakistan to be trained for the Jihad. Most of them have few other choices than to just hang around their neighbourhood, get involved with crimes and rioting, or to join up with the Jihad. At least these Houligans are
    allowed to make their choice. But most of the girls are not allowed this
    privilege. Only a few are ever enrolled in a high-school. Most of them are
    also school drop-outs who have a simple job in a supermarket or hospital…but
    not for more than a few months. Most of these young girls are forced to leave
    their school or job at the age of 16, and shortly thereafter are married-off to some older man, who they have not even met! (Since the Sharia Law says that
    a girl can be married at an even earlier age many Islamic marriage contracts are
    signed in the Mosque so that the marriage contract is sent to the cityhall when
    a girl has reached her 16th birthday). The legal age for marriage is 16 in most
    European countries….But a girl can be ” married” and pregnant months before
    she has reached this age! This is the goal of the Islam…forcing girls into
    marriage at a very young age, so that they will produce many sons for the Jihad!
    The Safe-Houses in all our large cities are now overfull with frightened young
    girls who have had to seek shelter and a new identity in order to escape the
    “Honour-Killing” by their own family! Because they have refused to be married off and become the newest victim of a nightmare life as a legalized slave!
    The Safe-Houses are also sheltering young Islam mothers with 1 or 2 little girls who have been badly beaten by Papa. Many women have an arm or leg in
    a cast or a headbandage, due to the attack from Pa they received while trying to prevent their little girl from being attacked.
    Most Dutch people do not attend our once-popular discount store HEMA during
    afternoon hours anymore. If you do venture there to buy one of the few familiar
    articles in their assortiment, you will be overwhelmed by a very new vision:
    young girls dressed in Burkas and Chadors, pushing baby-buggies, often
    accompanied by 1 or 2 young toddlers. They are in the HEMA to buy baby products in packages with Arabic letters, and to buy Halal food products….
    I am happy to say that our government has recently announced more new laws to keep the Islam here under control. I will keep you informed.

    • cree

      First hand information, appreciated. It’s worth it; more are paying attention.

      • Rosasolis

        Dear Cree, nice to hear from you again. Although we live in countries
        on either side of the Atlantic, we think alike. I hope more
        Americans will not forget us in Europe. We used to have close
        contact, and I hope this will soon be restored. We miss you folks!

        • cree

          I hope we don’t forget too. Europe is our roots. Many of us grieve the situation circumstances there. Europe’s history has lived much in upheaval. But, it endures through patriots like yourself. We’re on the same side in the fight. Is very good to here your government is cracking down on the muslim infiltration and their bulls–t. History’s mistakes and the truth reveals what we should fight for, and why. We think alike, we are anti-propagandists (seekers of truth) and recognize evil.
          We’ll stay in touch.

  • Hard Little Machine

    Turkey is slated to join the Schengen Area agreement soon. This will give them free travel to and through Europe (except the UK) w/o having to be an EU member state. The idea that a few million angry Medieval lunatics will flood into Europe and burn the place warms my heart. What’s the worst that happens? They blame it on…….the Jews.

    • Rosasolis

      Up until now I have not heard ANYTHING about Turkey joining up with
      the Schengen agreement now or in the future! Where have your read
      this? Or was it from one of those sentational TV news senders! Since our
      Netherlands government has passed the law on increased border
      surveillance a few months ago, I cannot believe that Turkey will be allowed
      free entrance to this country. We have had so many problems lately with
      with Islamic countries and since pres. Erdogan has returned Turkey to the status of its former Islamic Ottoman regime, I cannot believe that the EU
      would want to accept Turkey as a country to allow their Islamitic men and women to travel freely thoughout Europe! Last but not least…
      they don’t “blame it on the Jews”! The Turkish barbarians have been
      trying to destroy Christian Europe for centuries! After the 2 Crusades
      which Europe needed to stop them, they are still threatening to take
      over us! Everyone who is not an Islamic, is an “Infidel”, Christians, Jews,
      Hindus, and non-believers. The Koran states that the Islam is the only
      religion, and all infidels must be destroyed.

    • Joe The Gentile

      Are you a sophisticated Jihadist troll, by any chance? Setting out to create the impression that you are a zionist, and hate Europeans?

      • Hard Little Machine

        My ancestors, the ones who could, ran screaming from Europe. Europe is perhaps one generation from ethnically cleansing itself of the last 1.3 million Jews in and when that happens, much like the Arab world the continent will implode. Why, you ask? Because antisemitism in a place w.o. any Jews is always even more insane and backwards. Everything will be blamed on the “Jews” who no longer even exist in Europe. Everything from crop failures to the weather. Europe is entering a new Dark Ages and good luck with that. I hope you enjoy it. Allahu Truqbomb.

        • Joe The Gentile

          Anyone can say their ancestors ran screaming from Europe. Most of those whose ancestors really did so, act as if to protect, not endanger, those to whom it could happen again.. Are you seriously saying that you are a Jew? I don’t believe you. I notice that you blocked viewing of your activity on Disqus. You write like a sophisticated antisemitic troll, you are a jolly fountain for antisemitism and defamation of Jews. Why would a Jew publicly express sadistic and murderous hatred for Europeans in a high-profile e-place, a place considered ‘zionist’ by many and which is viewed by many Europeans?

          All of this, while the position of many Jews in Europe is well-known to you to be precarious. I think you’re a sophisticated antisemitic troll, trying to throw on the last straw of incitement that gets the pogrom going. You’ve been outed, you Hard Little Machine.

          • Hard Little Machine

            I didn’t read your post but please by all means feel free to call up Obama or someone to have be arrested. kiss noise.

        • Rosasolis

          Your machine isn’t working so well, anymore. It’s probably
          run down and rusty. Perhaps a good grease job and a new
          accu might restore it, for awhile. Today’s Europe has many Jews who live and work happily together with Christians.
          Not only Jews have been threatened by the Islam Jihadists,
          but also churches, and Hindu temples have been under
          attack. This has happened recently in The Hague. Our
          government officials and police have been threatened and warned for new attacks
          by the Jihad in the next coming months.
          In Netherlands there is no anti-semitism, but the Jihadists
          have been warning “The Infidels” — meaning Christians,
          Jews, Hindus, and all non-Islamists, that all of us will soon be
          targeted. This is why our government has recently passed
          new severe laws to deal with the Islamic terrorists.

          • Hard Little Machine

            That’s your problem now. You already slaughtered all the Jews you could. Now when someone’s trying exterminate all of you, I guess you can blame that on the Jews too but in either case it’s not our concern. Good luck, godspeed and have a nice long history with insane sharia.

          • Rosasolis

            Good Heavens, I fear that there must be some screws
            loose in your machine! Netherlands has NEVER
            slaughtered any Jews! In fact many Christians and
            non-believers provided many Jews with shelter and
            care during the course of WW2! These good, brave
            people risked their lives and that of their families while
            protecting many Jews! Soon, before you realize it,
            the Islamic terrorism will be again striking America.
            I suppose you have forgotten the terror which struck
            America during the 9 – 11 nightmare!

          • Hard Little Machine

            I guess you never heard Anne Frank

          • Rosasolis

            Of course I have heard of Anne Frank, and just as everyone in this country,
            I know of the sad fate of the family Frank,
            who received shelter and care from a Christian lady
            in Amsterdam, until they were discoved by the enemy
            and were transported. But other people did survive.
            Do not live in the past. We don’t. Life goes on!
            And ALL the people in our Western Civilization , must
            support and help each other if we are to have a future!
            This old Christian teaching is now more
            than ever before actual!

          • Joe The Gentile

            Hi Rosasolis, I support everything you said. Thanks.

            At some point, I learned a useful tip: always be prepared to let a troll have the last word. . It’s something we may well need to take on board in this conversation, because a troll likes to fill a page, and provocation is the method.

  • Bamaguje

    Indeed Islamic scriptures (Quran, Hadith, Sirat) are not the only sources of Sharia, for the simple reason that they do not cover the entire spectrum of human experience.
    Hence other sources of Sharia include Ijma i.e. Consensus of Islamic jurists.
    And indeed foremost Islamic scholars basically agree with honor killing, as evident from the manual of Sunni Islamic law – Umdat as-Salik – which prohibits punishment of honor killers.

  • mdy616

    Where is the outrage from the leftists in our country?? Why are they not calling Obama out for calling the “leader” of Turkey his best friend? Where are the Republicans? Why are they not pointing out what is happening there and how Obama calls this guy his friend? Tell me again how the left is so pro-woman!!

    Once again we see the hypocrisy of the left and Obama as they could care less about women and how these muslim “men” treat women like forth class humans. In fact, these backwards bunch of males treat animals better than they treat women. These women should all arm themselves and kill these worthless, spineless bullies!

  • Paul Gregory

    Moon god? I’m not sure about that. Mohammedan temples have a moon on as a sign of doom. Nit beard bible 54:1 and 75:8-10, it says unbelievers will receive their final doom when “the sun and moon are brought together” .Hence the crescent moon. Of course Mohammed didn’t know the sun is actually thousands of times the size of the moon and imagined they could be merged together in something like an eclipse. Sometimes a star is also used on their temples as well. The significance of this is explained at (53:49) plus what their god is. “He who is the Lord of Sirius”. The mohammedan god also has a few other head scratching titles like “Lord of the two Easts”, “the Lord of the Ladders” and more, but that’s all another story.

  • andrewwhitehead

    American feminists will get their underwear in a knot over the untrue paycheck inequality…but they have nothing to say when Muslim women are raped, murdered, have various body parts cut off or mutilated…wonder why?
    What is it about murdering Muslim women in the US, having US doctors perform FGM on young Muslim girls, and excusing Muslim men for beating their wives because dinner was five minutes late?
    American feminists are not cowards, are they? Are they just stupid? Or are they hypocrites? I’m sure I want to know…and so do the women who have to live under Islam in the United States.