Bullet...

"Maybe one of the most significant things works like this can give someone sitting at a computer 5,700 miles away is a new way of emotionally grasping events that seem in many ways very distant. Syrian-born painter Khaled Abdulwahed added his film “Bullet” to YouTube at the end of December 2011. Subtitled “A Syrian short story,” it uses stop-animation frames of paint on a concrete wall, following a bullet through a chain of metamorphoses into and out of human form, eventually spilling blood that rises."

Why reflect on Isra wal Miraj?

Every event in the Prophet’s (pbuh) life has been an important lesson for us to learn from. Yet many of us take for granted the magnificent life and legacy of the one whose sole mission was to teach mankind the purpose of his life.

The journey of Isra wal Miraj was a miraculous journey in his life that not only brought enormous amounts of blessings to him but also to us. This journey was God Almighty’s wonderful response to the Prophet’s (pbuh) sad state in the year which is commonly known as “The year of great sadness”. This was a particularly sad time for Muhammad (pbuh) as his beloved wife Khadija (RA), who was his strongest supporter had passed away. Soon after, his Uncle Abu Talib passed on and left him completely alone, with no protection against the fierce Tribe of Quraish in Mecca.

With no one by his side, his situation looked bleak as the small Muslim community was suffering persecution and were being exiled from their own city in Mecca.  With no hope in sight, Muhammad (pbuh) decided to go on his own to the City of Taif to see if he would be able to get some support from the leaders there. To his dismay, it became the lowest point in his life. Upon making his request and inviting the people to Islam, not only was he rejected but he was disgraced and humiliated by their leaders and children who had brutally stoned him and left to bleed alone.

Imagine the state he (pbuh) would have been in, with absolutely no well-wisher by his side, extremely humiliated, he had made the most beautiful plea to Allah(God).

“O Allah! Unto You do I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness and of my lowliness before men.  O most Merciful of the merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. Into whose hands have you entrusted me?  Unto some far off stranger who receives me with hostility? Or unto a foe whom you have empowered against me? I care not, so long as You are not angry with me.  But Your favouring help, that were for me the broader way and the wider scope.  I take refuge in the light of Your countenance whereby all darknesses are illuminated and all things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest You make descend Your anger upon me or lest Your wrath beset me. Yet it is Yours to reproach until You are well pleased. There is no power and no might except through Thee.”

This famous dua’a of our Prophet (pbuh) is an example of how a servant of God is ever so grateful to his Lord despite the difficulty that he may be going through. He exhibited true Prophetic patience and humbled himself to the point where all he really cared for was whether Allah was pleased with him.  Soon after he made this duaa, Allah had sent his Angel Gabriel who was ready to destroy the people of Taif if the Prophet (pbuh) had wanted to take revenge. Our merciful Messenger instead decided not to take revenge and pleaded for their forgiveness as they may one day leave descendants who will become believers. That is how far sighted Muhammad (pbuh) was.

Despite the fact that everything that Muhammad (pbuh) treasured was taken away from him, his resolve was unchanged and he displayed true belief in the existence of his Lord and knew that Allah Almighty would be pleased with him.

I feel that this is a great lesson for our generation to learn from, that no matter what difficulty we may go through in this life, we must remember to always have true faith and not forget that Allah is always there for us.

Two wonderful gifts of blessings were granted to our Prophet (pbuh) after this difficult test. A group of jinn became believers and embraced Islam and Allah granted Muhammad  (pbuh) the Journey of Isra wal Miraj. After the most difficult time in his life had surpassed, the Prophet(pbuh) was rewarded with the Journey that no other human was ever granted or could ever imagine; and that was the journey to meet Allah Himself. Within that journey were miracles and blessings of meetings with past prophets of our time, being shown the seven heavens, having access to view the delights of Paradise and the perils of Hellfire.  Muhammad was granted a VIP ticket into Allah’s most privately concealed truths. The Muslim Ummah(Nation) was granted the 5 prescribed prayers; the gift that keeps on giving and our one-way to Allah and His Divine Knowledge. Muhammad (pbuh) was granted access that no other had ever been granted before. Allah blessed him with His Divine blessings and rewards and reminded his servant that none of his suffering has been in vain.

There is a huge lesson in this for humanity and I feel that we always miss the point. Too often we lose hope and faith and give up in life and we feel overwhelmed by the world and its delusions. We need to reacquaint ourselves with the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life and learn from the lessons within. We owe the man who gave up everything he had to bring Faith into our lives, we owe him our trust and our resolve. We are his ummati. (followers) May Allah forgive us for forgetting who we really are.

So this Isra wal Miraj, lets forget about our worries, our trials, difficulties and sacrifices and lets unite as one Nation under God and pray like Muhammad (pbuh) did in our most humble way. Ask Allah to bless Muhammad and his family and his ummah and to forgive us and guide humanity to the straight way. We too shall be rewarded inshallah(God willing) in this world and in the hereafter. Ameen.

Allah huma salli Ala Muhammad

*http://mercytoallmankind.wordpress.com/profile/

A Mural Of A Zapatista Woman...

Mural of Zapatista woman wearing a balaclava mask made of maize, 

Oventic, Zapatista Caracole, photo by Kelly

Neruda For Days...

This flesh and the other will be consumed,

the flower will doubtless perish without residue,

when death--sterile dawn, desiccated dust--

comes one day into the girdle of the haughty island,

and you, statue, daughter of man, will remain

gazing with the empty eyes that rose

up through one and another hand of the absent immortals.

Pablo Neruda - The Builders of Statues

Reverse Racism ...

#BringBackOurGirls...

Simple question. Are you Nigerian? Do you have constitutional rights accorded to Nigerians to participate in their democratic process? If not, I have news you. You can’t do anything about the girls missing in Nigeria. You can’t. Your insistence on urging American power, specifically American military power, to address this issue will ultimately hurt the people of Nigeria.

It heartens me that you’ve taken up the mantle of spreading “awareness” about the 200+ girls who were abducted from their school in Chibok; it heartens me that you’ve heard the cries of mothers and fathers who go yet another day without their child. It’s nice that you care.

Here’s the thing though, when you pressure Western powers, particularly the American government to get involved in African affairs  and when you champion military intervention, you become part of a much larger problem. You become a complicit participant in a military expansionist agenda on the continent of Africa. This is not good.

You might not know this, but the United States military loves your hashtags because it gives them legitimacy to encroach and grow their military presence in Africa. AFRICOM (United States Africa Command), the military body that is responsible for overseeing US military operations across Africa, gained much from #KONY2012 and will now gain even more from #BringBackOurGirls.

Last year, before President Obama visited several countries in Africa, I wrote about how the U.S. military is expanding its role in Africa. In 2013 alone, AFRICOM carried out a total of 546 “military activities,” which is an average of one and half military missions a day. While we don’t know much about the purpose of these activities, keep in mind that AFRICOM’s mission is to “advance U.S. national security interests.”

And advancing they are. According to one report, in 2013, American troops entered and advanced American interests in Niger, Uganda, Ghana, Malawi, Burundi, Mauritania, South Africa, Chad, Togo, Cameroon, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and South Sudan.

The U.S. military conducted 128 separate “military activities” in 28 African countries between June and December of 2013. These are in conjunction to U.S. led drone operations which are occurring in Northern Nigeria  and  Somalia. There are also counter-terrorism outposts in Djibouti and Niger and covert bases in Ethiopia and the Seychelles which are serving as launching pads for the U.S. military to carry out surveillance and armed drone strikes.

Although most of these activities are covert, we do know that the U.S. military has had a destabilizing effect in a few countries. For example, a New York Times article confirmed that the man who overthrew the elected Malian government in 2012 was trained and mentored by the United States between 2004 and 2010. Further, a U.S. trained battalion in the Democratic Republic of Congo was denounced by the United Nations for committing mass rapes.

Now the United States is gaining more ground in Africa by sending military advisors and more drones, sorry, I mean security personnel and assets to Nigeria to assist the Nigerian military, who by the way, have a history of committing mass atrocities against the Nigerian people.

Knowing this, you can understand my apprehension for President Obama’s decision. As the Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole said yesterday, the involvement of the U.S. government and military will only lead to more militarism, less oversight, and less democracy.

Also, the last time military advisors were sent to Africa, they didn’t do much good. Remember #KONY2012?  When President Obama sent 100 combat-equipped troops  to capture or kill Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony in Central Africa?  Well, they haven’t found him and although they momentarily stopped looking, President Obama sent more troops in March 2014 who now roam Uganda, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Consequently, your calls for the United States to get involved in this crisis undermines the democratic process in Nigeria and co-opts the growing movement against the inept and kleptocratic Jonathan administration. It was Nigerians who took their good for nothing President to task and challenged him to address the plight of the missing girls. It is in their hands to seek justice for these girls and to ensure that the Nigerian government is held accountable. Your emphasis on U.S. action does more harm to the people you are supposedly trying to help and it only expands and sustain U.S. military might.

If you must do something, learn more about the amazing activists and journalists like this one, this one, andthis one just to name a few, who have risked arrests and their lives as they challenge the Nigerian government to do better for its people within the democratic process.  If you must tweet, tweet to support and embolden them, don’t direct your calls to action to the United States government who seeks to only embolden American militarism. Don’t join the American government and military in co-opting this movement started and sustained by Nigerians. 

Jumoke is a Nigerian-American. She is the co-founder and co-editor of compareafrique.com. Seeing Nigerians of all tribes and religious affiliation together in her hometown of Oshogbo, in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and elsewhere protesting and controlling the destiny of their nation fuels her to do more and be better.  She dreams about handing down a festival of slaps to President Goodluck Jonathan and Patience Jonathan. 

http://www.compareafrique.com/dear-americans-hashtags-wont-bringbackourgirls-might-actually-making-things-worse/

Why Some Muslim Men Love Khadija and Ayesha...

In the past couple of days, I’ve been witness to something that has angered me beyond measure. Some Muslim women started a hashtag on Twitter to talk about their issues. Why Twitter you ask? Well, because women’s issues are only marginally covered in the broader media unless it’s somehow connected to “saving” them or hijab or Femen. Under this hashtag - #IfKhadijaCanDoIt -, they were attempting to talk about the issues and problems facing them in current times.

As you guessed it, some Muslim men attempted to hijack it and infuse it with their own reactionary ideas of how Muslim women should live their lives. Below is a Twitter tirade I had last night that was directed at these men. For the most part, it’s what I tweeted as is, but I have added some new words and edited the tweets because in the heat of my anger, I forgot to type right at times. Here goes:

Dear Certain Muslim Men:

I’m tired and fed up with the double standards you have when it comes to Muslim women.

Why do I sense that there are two Islams for some of us? Why do I feel like the Islam for men is different from the Islam for women? On the one hand, there’s the cosmopolitan, inclusive, open Islam for men. It’s political, spiritual, religious. On the other, we’ve constructed an Islam for women that is only concerned with how they should belong to us in some way - whether as mothers, sisters, daughters or wives.

When we talk about Muslim men’s rights, we talk about everything - employment, immigration, health, education, workplace discrimination, systematic racism, racial profiling, insecurity… you name it, we talk about it. The Islam for men is politically charged. We use it to tackle issues that we face daily in our lives as independent beings with inalienable rights.

However, the Islam we’ve constructed for women serves only one purpose: to train women to be “good” mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. We don’t look at women’s problems in the same way as we do our own. We treat them like they’re far less dire than the hurdles facing us. When women attempt to get us to take them seriously, we patronize them with words like, “This is not as important as X, Y and Z facing the community right now.” As if women don’t have to struggle with issues we do.

We pretend like education, health care, immigration, racism etc… don’t affect them. Like they are only men’s issues. Some of us push hard to stunt their inclusion in our political struggles. When we allow them to join, we tokenize their presence. We’re happy to have them in full hijab, or with purdahs at rallies to show off how accepting of women’s rights we are. We like to talk about it to media. We showcase women in our political struggle, but behind closed doors, we’re just as prejudiced against them as the system that oppresses them.

We ignore that not only do they have to face every single problem we do, but they have to struggle against systemic and systematic misogyny, too, - not to mention far higher levels of sexual violence and almost all the sexual harassment.

Obviously, the worst of us want women to be confined to our houses - their role only to support us physically, spiritually and sexually. However, even among the best of us Muslim men, some treat women only as good as they can serve us in some way. Even when it comes to our political struggle, we include women to raise awareness about issues that are hurting us men, but when it comes to their problems, some of us abandon them. We don’t stand behind their voices. The worst don’t even listen.

Domestic violence? Their problem.
Lack of access to or cramped spaces and humiliation at mosques? Their problem.
Sexual harassment? Their problem.
Sexism at work? Their problem.
Misrepresentation in the media? Their problem.

If it’s something that pertains to only Muslim women, we pretend like it doesn’t even exist. We’re ready to defend ourselves when some Islamophobic nutjob collectively accuses us of treating Muslim women harshly, but when it comes to Muslim women being treated harshly by others, we don’t even notice. When Muslim women fight with us for our rights, they’re welcome. When it’s their rights, they stand alone. It’s like some Muslim men - even educated, cosmopolitan, “enlightened” men - feel shamed by supporting Muslim women.

But this… this angers me the most. This phrase that gets thrown around by some men when they’re confronted with women who want their rights, “Islam already gives women all the rights she needs.” This. Is. Bull****.

Brothers, when we are beat up by cops in NY, do we say, “Islam already gives men all the rights we need.” ??? Brothers, when our mosques are bugged by the FBI, do we say, “Islam already gives men all the rights we need.” ??? What about when we’re not hired because we’re brown? “Islam already gives men all the rights we need,” ??? No?

Brothers: Why is it that when Muslim men face racism and discrimination, we don’t talk about the prophet’s companions Othman or Omar? Brothers: Why is it that when the police uses violence against us, we don’t talk about Abuzar or Talha? Brothers: Seriously, if Islam is for all time, then why are we not able to see our issues in the prism of 1,400 years ago?

Oh, but just you wait till women’s issues come up. We all suddenly become scholars of early Islamic history.

Brothers, the only thing some of us can tell women is: “Well, just look at Khadija and Ayesha. That should solve your problem.”

Tell me brothers: How can looking at Khadija help a Muslim woman who’s being denied access to education by the state? How does looking at Ayesha help a Muslim who is being sexually harassed on the way to work? How should a Muslim woman who’s being discriminated against at work follow Fatima to solve her problem? You can’t because you and I both know why we use Khadija and Ayesha and Fatima when it comes to women’s issues.

We tell Muslim their problems are solved by women from early Islamic history because they were all housewives.

That’s what some of us want Muslim women to be, brothers. We want them to only serve our needs. Their existence tied to us. We don’t actually want to support Muslim women in their struggle against issues facing them. We just want to one up them while acting smart about it. But to live a life like Khadija or Ayesha, you need to have a husband like Mohammed, which I don’t see any of us being like. Even if Muslim women choose to be housewives - and many do - they’ll still struggle against patriarchy - at home.

The truth is, when some men tell Muslim women they should follow Khadija or Ayesha, what we really mean is: “Follow men.” Guess what: If there was a school in Mecca in 7th century AD, I’m sure Khadija and Ayesha would’ve liked to go to study, too. Muslim women would’ve become nurses, doctors, and teachers, too, if those institutions existed. If all the Muslim women should do is what women in 7th century AD Mecca did, then why are men doing different things?

Why don’t we men take camels up and down the Mecca-Syria trail since that’s what the best Muslim men back then did? Name one male companion of the prophet who was a doctor or an engineer or a college professor. One. (The answer by the way is zero). Better yet, why aren’t we dreaming of becoming sheep herders when we grow up because that’s what the prophet grew up doing?

Why do some Muslim men want to be doctors, engineers and college professors unlike the prophet and his companions? Isn’t this bid’ah and fitnah? But when Muslim women want to teach, or treat patients or design cars some of us start shouting, “KHADIJA! AYESHA! BID’AH! FITNAH!” And best of all: “Islam already gives women all the rights she needs…”

You know what that translates to? “Make me food. Suck my d***. Raise my kids.”

The truth is, some of us use Khadija and Ayesha and Fatima’s names to enslave their daughters - nothing more, nothing less. Worse, we use Islam to justify our own inadequacies, our own prejudices and our own misogyny and contempt for women. No, Islam doesn’t give women all the rights they need because some of these rights didn’t even exist back then. There were no constitutions, no social contracts and no inalienable rights.

That’s why Islam isn’t the be all end all for us men and our problems and rights in contemporary society. That’s why our banners decrying racial profiling by New York Police Department don’t include the words, “Islam already gives us all the rights we need. Please continue to oppress us because we’re very happy.”

So what is the solution? How can we men help? Here’s a revolutionary idea: listen to Muslim women.

Muslim women know their problems and the solutions to them. They’re working on it. All they need from us is support. They’re fighting against the system denying them their rights and you know, their issues are too complex for a guy - like me and you - to understand on our own. We have to learn - from them. After they’ve made us understand, we have to ask them how we can support them. Not support them the way we would like to.

Most of all, we men shouldn’t try to come up with answers: Muslim women already have most of them and are working on the rest. Our job is when women come out to implement their solutions to stand behind them or beside them. Not in front of them. They’re already in the trenches for their rights and for solving their issues. They need amplification of their voices not obstruction. We can stand with them against the state, the religious establishment, even our own brothers - just like they stand with us when our rights are at stake. Or we can ignore them, but even ignoring them - at this critical juncture - is better than beating the Khadija and Ayesha drum.

Not only does it demean Khadija and Ayesha and show our contempt for women, it also gives the system extra ammunition to oppress women. After all, if Muslim men don’t want women to have their rights, why should the states care?

Finally, next time someone asks you why you’re speaking for women’s rights or joining their rallies, tell them because:

"If one of you sees something wrong, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then with his heart and this is the weakest faith." - Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)

Josh Shahryar

http://sjoshs.tumblr.com/post/81214901888/why-some-muslim-men-love-khadija-and-ayesha

The Rashaida...

Photographer Eric Lafforgue has pictured unique tribes in remote locations around the world but when he first tried to seek out the Rashaida in Eritrea, Africa, he couldn't find a driver willing to take him. Then when he tried to meet them at a camel market in the United Arab Emirates he was warned by Pakistani workers: 'Do not try to meet them, do not talk to them, they are crazy!' Eric told MailOnline: 'When I first planned to visit the Rashaida, I couldn't find a driver who was willing to take me to their villages in the nearby desert. They regard them as dangerous "gypsies". "They will rob you and then try to steal my taxi," they all told me. 

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Simple life: The Rashaida people live in tents in the desert despite having vast sums of money acquired through selling camels

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Travellers: The nomadic tribe came to Eritrea from Saudi Arabia about 200 years ago

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Fearsome reputation: Some members of the tribe have been known to be involved in human trafficking and torture

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Striking look: The women wear a veil which covers their nose (a very sexual facial feature in their culture) and their mouth, but not all of their hair

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Young bride: A woman must be married by the age of 16 or she is considered too old to be a wife

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Battle of the sexes: Daughters are desired over sons because their mother will be paid thousands when she marries. Marriages can be arranged when girls are as young as six

'After tough negotiations, one driver finally agreed to drive me to the Rashaida, but he dropped me off 200 meters from the camp.' So why have the Rashaida, who have led a nomadic lifestyle in the barren and hostile desert for centuries, built up such a fearsome reputation? The Rashaida originally came from Saudi Arabia but can now be found in areas including Egypt, Libya and the Sudan. They move from place to place in search of grass for their camels - which helps them make a fortune as they can sell their prized animals to wealthy sheikhs for as much as £16,000 each. Despite their wealth, they live in tents with no electricity and no running water - although some do embrace modern technology in the form of cars and mobile phones. When Eric eventually meets the Rashaida, he is told by Salam Swalim Muhammed, the chief of the Massawa Rashaida village in Eritrea, of their business selling camels: 'Yes it is a lot of money, but you know we have big families to take care of! We work a lot, trading with Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia...'

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Mobile business: The Rashaida travel from place to place seeking grass for their prized camels

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Lucrative creatures: Their camels can be sold for £16,000 each

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Wary: The Rashaida can frequently be found at camel markets- although not everyone is brave enough to approach them

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Traditional: The tribe earn a fortune from their camels but still live primitive lifestyles

The chief revealed that they shun much of modern technology, including TV because 'the television shows sickness and disasters. Instead of buying sickness with your money, it is better to live happily, peacefully, and freely.' However, as the people's fearsome reputation suggests, not all members of the Rashaida live as peacefully as Muhammed suggests.

A United Nations report explains that they are the master smugglers of everything from guns to people, getting involved in hostage taking and human trafficking.

Eric explains: 'Rashaida also make their money from a less legitimate business. In the refugee camps around Kassala in Sudan, Eritrean people attempting to move on are kidnapped by the Rashaida. Once they kidnap an Eritrean, the victim will have to ask their relatives to wire ransom money to one of the kidnapper’s accounts around the world. If there is any delay in transferring the money, the victim will be physically abused. Testimonies say the more the money transfer is delayed, the more the victim is tortured.' One reason the Rashaida need money is to marry. The groom must pay up to £40,000 to the bride-to-be's mother for her hand in marriage. Such marriages can be arranged when a girl is as young as six. If a woman is not married by the time she is 16, it's considered too late for her to become a wife.

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Beliefs: The people abide to Saudi Sharia law

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Segrated: Rashaida live in isolated communities, preferring not to live with people of other tribes

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The men 'look Arab and wear loose white clothing'. Their simple appearance belies their wealth

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Many of the tribe shun modern technology as they prefer to 'live happily, peacefully, and freely'

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Different sides: While those pictured are peaceful, others are master smugglers of everything from guns to people

Muhammed explained to Eric that daughters are desired over sons because of the riches they can bring via marriage. If added: 'If a man wants to get married but isn’t rich enough to afford the wife, then the Rashaida from Libya, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia contribute so the groom can afford his bride.' Eric saw no evidence of the Rashaida's wealth or violent pastimes when he was invited to join Muhammed to drink tea under his tent, when he eventually tracked down one of the tribes in Eritrea. He learnt that the Rashaida stay in isolated communities, preferring not to live with people of other tribes. But says Muhammed: 'When we travel, we will be welcomed everywhere by other Rashaida.'

Some Rashaida have moved out of the desert to live in towns such as Kassala in Sudan so their children can go to school. But one ten-year-old boy told Eric that he prefers living in the desert despite the harsh conditions. Describing the enigmatic Rashaida people he met during his stay, Eric said: 'Rashaida men have no special appearance: they look Arab and wear loose white clothing. On the other hand, the women are very striking. They all wear colourful traditional dresses and a veil which covers their nose (a very sexual facial feature in their culture) and their mouth, but not their hair. 

'This is rather unusual in the Muslim culture. With long hair, some of them have an amazing style with long black locks jutting out in all directions. 'However, since the Rashaida follow Saudi Sharia law, and more and more have enough money to make the Hadj to Mecca, they come back with new precepts from Saudi Arabia, asking their women to cover the hair.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2615159/Meet-gypsies-desert-Photographer-gains-rare-insight-lives-nomadic-Rashaida-girls-betrothed-six-modern-technology-shunned.html#ixzz30UwZW7nH
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

My Son would Never Rape a Woman...

My son would never rape a woman. It is brutal, disgusting and immoral. He simply isn’t capable of such a thing. She has obviously enticed him.

She was at the club when it happened. Short black dress, tall black drink. She stood in the middle of the dance floor, moved her hips slowly. She made eye contact with him. She even smiled. He walked up to her and asked her to meet him at his car. When she declined, he grabbed her arm.

And what a scene she created! She fought, screamed and kicked. You want this, he told her as he pulled her out of the club. NO, she screamed, yelling as he dragged her to his car. You don’t know what you want, you’re drunk.

She sat alone in the parking lot a few hours later. Disgusting girl, she reeked of smoke and alcohol. What a drama queen. That girl, no morals, no values, has the audacity to say she was raped. Should’ve thought twice before getting that third drink.

My son would never rape a sober girl. 

She boarded the bus after school. The school bag on her shoulders, accentuating her breasts. It was raining and she didn’t have an umbrella. Her kurti clinging to her body in the most indecent way. You could practically see it. The shape of her breasts, her hips, her thighs. She stood there, absentmindedly adjusting the straps of her bag. The bus moved jerkily down the narrow road. Her chest heaving, up and down, up and down.

Of course she was going to be touched. This girl has no sense of modesty. He went up behind her and grabbed her chest as she got off the bus. Chutiya, she yelled, looking around for help. No one cared. What did she expect. An army to come to her rescue?

My son would never rape a girl who was wearing a dupatta.

They would whistle as she walked past them. She’d ignore it, walking fast until she made her way down the street. How could you blame them! She was beautiful. Such girls especially should learn to dress modestly. But she. She’d wear jeans, bright red lipstick, draw her eyes and wear high heels. She thinks she’s Rakhi Sawant. She is doing it for attention, and then she complains when she gets it. She wanted them to look at her. She probably enjoyed it.

She had it coming. One day, they followed her. They cornered her and tore her clothes off in broad daylight. She screamed and cried. They didn’t care. They broke her heels, smudged her kajal, smeared her lipstick. They dragged her unconscious body down the dark street and slashed her face. They laughed. No one would whistle at her again.

My son would never rape a girl who dressed appropriately.

She went for a movie with a boy at 10pm. She probably comes from one of those modern families. Going out alone with that boy like a common whore. She must have had sex with him also. These girl are like that. So loose. They don’t care about virtues, values and tradition.

They stopped them outside the theatre and beat the boy up. They pushed the girl to the ground and held her there as each took his turn with her. Some of them, twice. They walked away when they were done, leaving her out on the street for hours until she found the strength to go home.
What difference does it make. God knows how many men she has slept with anyway.

My son would never rape a homely girl.

He wobbled in at 11pm. She did the dishes quietly, her heart racing as she heard his footsteps get closer. Tears stung her eyes as he put his hands on her waist. She could smell the whiskey on his breath. He tugged at her pallu, letting it fall to the ground. Not today, she begged. Her back ached and her head felt like it was going to explode.

He grabbed her hair and pulled her to their bedroom. She scrambled to find her pallu as they walked past the hall. Their son stared in horror. He shut the door behind him and slapped her. He told her to stay quiet and take her clothes off. She did as she was told.

What do you mean my son raped his wife. There is no such thing.

My son would never rape a woman. We’re simply confusing rape with consensual sex. If you look close enough, consent is just around the corner. You just need to try hard enough to find it. Consent is everywhere, disguised in short dresses, drinks, make up, high heels, late nights, marriage certificates and even screams and tears. In fact, there’s a little consent in all of us. So, trust your gut. Consent might just be closer than you think.

*http://epiphanyinthecacophony.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/my-son-would-never-rape-a-woman/