Morocco, 16 year old, Amina al-Filah, committed suicide, after she was forced to marry her rapist by a Sharia court. Her hushand, then beat her regularly, and she ask her mother for advice and the was told to be patient.
With in a week she could suffer the abuse and the prospect of spending the rest of her life with her brutal "husband" no longer and committed suicide on Saturday 11, by drinking a lethal amount of rat poison, .
Aminas story has sparked outrage in Morocco with a 200 strong protest outside the Moroccan parliament brandishing placards "Martyr Amina", "We are all Aminas", and "The law killed me".
Amina's family agreed to the judgement to have her marry her rapist, because they beleived she had brought shame to their family by losing her virginity. This is not uncommon within the Muslim community.Lahcen al-Filali, Amina's father, was reluctant to permit this marriage, his wife insisted that it should be allowed, Lahcen told AFP, at the Thursday protest, "She said we had to do it so people would stop deriding us, to remove the shame, Can you imagine that a man who has forced a girl to follow him with a knife, and who rapes her, could then want to marry her?"
Democratic Association of Women member, Houda Bouzil, also told AFP "In 2008, the government introduced a bill, which has since been shelved, to demand an overhaul of the penal code in order to end discrimination and violence."Tunisia and Algeria have similar legislation
The story has exploded on the internet and media and on-line petitions to repeal the law.
With in a week she could suffer the abuse and the prospect of spending the rest of her life with her brutal "husband" no longer and committed suicide on Saturday 11, by drinking a lethal amount of rat poison, .
Aminas story has sparked outrage in Morocco with a 200 strong protest outside the Moroccan parliament brandishing placards "Martyr Amina", "We are all Aminas", and "The law killed me".
Amina's family agreed to the judgement to have her marry her rapist, because they beleived she had brought shame to their family by losing her virginity. This is not uncommon within the Muslim community.Lahcen al-Filali, Amina's father, was reluctant to permit this marriage, his wife insisted that it should be allowed, Lahcen told AFP, at the Thursday protest, "She said we had to do it so people would stop deriding us, to remove the shame, Can you imagine that a man who has forced a girl to follow him with a knife, and who rapes her, could then want to marry her?"
Democratic Association of Women member, Houda Bouzil, also told AFP "In 2008, the government introduced a bill, which has since been shelved, to demand an overhaul of the penal code in order to end discrimination and violence."Tunisia and Algeria have similar legislation
The story has exploded on the internet and media and on-line petitions to repeal the law.
Moroccan statute, punishes rape with 10 years, or 10-20 years in prison if the victim is under 18, and a fine of 200-500 dirhams (18-45 euros) unless he marries the victim. The marriage can never be reverse.
On Thurday an additional protest of 300 occured outside the court that mad the judgement that forced Amina to marry her rapist.
On Thurday an additional protest of 300 occured outside the court that mad the judgement that forced Amina to marry her rapist.
Editorial
Is the fox guarding the hen house? It is worth noting that Morocco as country is not that backward.
We must give credit to her father for understanding how wrong the arrangement was, however then blows it by not protecting his daughter. For good people to bad things you need religion. This has been a tragic experience for all concerned. If Amina's story has a value, it is in highlighting the sanity in the practise of Sharia. Moroccans are no longer desert tribe-people, those ancient customary laws are no longer befitting in the modern world.
I get the sense that derision levelled at the family of a rape victim is little more than bully and a perversion of the the course of justice in order that the rapist may escape the just consequences of their actions.
Update
Source: AFPTV
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