MagnumJoe said:
Uh... I don't know if you're insulting me or praising me, so I suppose I'll answer with a straight face.
Upon further reading, the people behind this stoning accused her of adultery, and that's why she was stoned, as per Sharia law. However, the girl's father and Amnesty International claim that, as per Shairia Law, she can't of been accused of adultery, because she was raped and she's too young, respectively.
So... yeh, it's a case of fundamentalists being, well, themselves. It doesn't matter if they were Muslim, Christian or Hindu, they are fundamentalists, and that's why there actions were so barbaric.
Seekster said:
I think the British in India had the right idea for this kind of thing when they banned the tradition in which the widows of Indian tribesman would throw themselves on their husband's funeral pyre. When the British banned this practice an Indian leader complained to a British official who basically told him that if he wanted to follow that tradition go ahead but the British would also follow their tradition and hang anyone who makes a woman burn herself alive. Problem solved.
Sati, definitely one of the worst things that could have been introduced into Hinduism. However, there are more parallels than just the one you draw. Both were misapplications of the intended use of the practice:
Sati was supposed to be a voluntary practice by the wife to show her devotion to her husband, while the reason Islam has those harsh sanctions is because it's so hard to prove. Both were also forced onto females, often at a young age, because of the extremists, with Hindu and Muslim extremists using social pressure and force.
So, I suppose what we learn from this is that, regardless of the religion, you'll get some kind of extremist trying to do something that not only defies sense, but it also goes against their religious teachings.
Edit:
Simriel said:
The problem is not every Muslim thinks like you.
No, the problem is that the vocal minority of Muslims, the extremists, use their religion as a cause to rally behind, but in doing so, they disregard many of the ideas the religion stands for. It's compounded by the fact that many people, who don't take the time to filter through the bullshit and learn things for themselves, take those fundamentalists' words that they are Muslims, and thus, the majority of Muslims, the people who are rational human being with religious beliefs, get shit for it.
Doug said:
I'm not trying to defend the Empire, but I think this particular item in its history isn't exactly a black mark.
No, no it's far from a black mark. However, it's probably one of the few things 'The Empire' did that we can thank you for...
