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No religion should condone ‘rape and marry’ option

YOURSAY | ‘So just rape and that woman will be yours forever. Absurd, isn't it?’

BN MP: Marriage after rape a remedy for 'social problems'

Commentable: Tasek Gelugor MP Shabudin Yahaya speaks with a lot of conjectures. What if this, what if that. They are very speculative in nature and nothing that speaks of the feeling that the victim has to go through.

But rape is a crime and no matter what one says, the full course of justice needs to be served. So why not let the rapist face the full brunt of the law first and when his sentence is completed, nobody will care two hoots if the victim decides whether to marry the scum or not.

To allow even the hint of such suggestion is an insult to women. Allowing it sets the precedent that men don't need ever to woo and pursue the woman of his dreams - just rape and that woman will be yours forever. Absurd, isn't it?

And don't bring religion into this absurdity. No religion will condone this "rape and marry" practice. Let's see what he will say if a "haprak" rapes his daughter or niece and offer to marry that unfortunate girl after the incident.

XED: Any woman (whatever her religion) has the right to give or withhold consent to sexual intercourse. Her guardian has no right, of course, to give consent to a man to have sexual intercourse with her!

Furthermore, a Muslim woman's guardian's consent alone is not sufficient for a man to marry her, a point which should carry more emphasis than it actually does. Additionally, the woman's consent to the marriage too is required for it to be valid. Consent must be given by a woman of her own free will so as to be valid.

Is a rape victim to be "advised" or "persuaded" to marry the man who had defiled her? Who in his or her right mind would think that her consent, if given in such a situation, has been freely given and is valid?

A woman who marries her attacker can get divorced by him the next day, and there will be enough all-knowing types who will advise her that it is his right to do so. This MP with a twisted mind has not addressed the real issue of getting men to respect women.

Slumdog: Shabudin, you’re totally devoid of any feeling for the rape victim. What you say is abhorrent and disgusting. There is no justification for rape under any circumstances.

Can one imagine the poor rape victim having to marry the monster who violated her and continue to be raped in a forced marriage? Please don’t defend yourself by saying it is all okay that the marriage requires the permission of the Syariah Court.

Anonymous 1890491455255851: This sort of outrageous thinking has no place in any society and someone who thinks this way should not be allowed to hold any leadership position.

This is the kind of thinking that allows other perverts to exist. This so-called 'lawmaker' as he is described, should immediately be told to resign and be banned from public office of any sort.

Grauco: What Shabudin said is true and I agree with him. All the comments here are from people who are narrow minded and don't respect other people's religion.

Rape as defined in the West includes underage children having intercourse willingly. In some Western countries, nine out of 10 of those under the age of 18 are no longer virgins. So, why are they not jailed for rape? If you lose your virginity before the age of 18, it is either you are raped or you rape someone. Does that make sense to you?

Don’t talk about syariah law if you don't know about it. Respect other people's religion as we respect yours.

Tony Soprano: Grauco, you don't understand Western law. First of all, the age of consent in Western European countries is between 14 and 16. The American age of consent is 16 to 18, depending on the state.

It is not rape if a boy 17 or younger has consensual sex with a girl of 16 or older. It's only statutory rape if the male is an adult (18 or over) and the girl is under 18.

Vijay47: Shabudin's revelations on sexuality and marital bliss is enlightening to say the least and this is the first time I have heard that the rape of a child followed by the rapist marrying her somehow reforms him and makes him a better person.

Another gem from this inspired politician is that a nine-year-old child who has attained puberty is physically and spiritually ready for marriage. Shabudin's argument seems to be that a child whose body has developed into that of an 18-year-old woman is ready to be a wife.

What if the rapist, alas, does not reform as Shabudin expects him to and instead rapes another child-woman or even three more? No problem, since he has kindly given the comfort of matrimony to four children? And what if, pardon my crude analogy, if the child is raped by, say, five men?

Just one final question, Shabudin. Would your views be just as generous if the rape victim were your daughter?

Inevitably, we will soon see the enlightened side rising to the defence of Shabudin. First, that Malaysiakini be shut down for publishing such lurid details and all commentators on this topic be charged for insulting Islam, including a former syariah court judge.

Next, would be the demand that people who do not understand the teachings of the religion should keep their ignorant opinions to themselves. These people are willing tools of neo-imperialists and their comments clearly reflect their Western-Christian liberalisation and pro-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) inclinations.

Next, far from being a villain, Shabudin was only expressing his concern for rape victims and was merely suggesting a wise solution to this widespread social scourge.

If he had delved with great relish into the physical attributes of nine- and 18-year-old bodies to the salivating arousal of his Umno and PAS parliamentary colleagues, it was only to emphasise the fact that children could yet be women and rape need not always be rape.

Whatshappening: Imagine a nine-year-old girl, still so innocent and a virgin, is raped and forced to marry the rapist? What kind of a father would allow this to happen?

By agreeing to that, Shabudin is encouraging rapes. I thought the Parliament was debating on the Sexual Offences Against Children Bill, and here you are suggesting that the kids can marry their rapists.

Shunyata: Yes, save your victims, O rapists. Marry them, O merry men of honour, in order to return them their dignity. For otherwise they would be shelved and thus doomed.

O sistas, better be wed now to thy sexual offenders than to remain single and dignified. And after having done so, do not forget to kiss the feet of the brilliant Shabudin, the Problem Solver of Violated Desperate Women.

‘Rape and marry’ choice - a solution for whose social problem?

Shabudin Yahaya and our rape culture


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