Afgan women and terror

According to an AP report by Amir Shah and Heidi Vogt, an Afghan woman was murdered by her husband apparently because she bore him second daughter instead of a son. The subjugation of women within Afghanistan by men of Muslim faith have been escalating. Reports of a girl, fifteen years old, being tortured and enslaved in prostitution by her in-laws, a rape victim being imprisoned for adultery are just a few examples.

Photo by SunSeven

Although women of Afghanistan have stepped into the 21st century by holding office jobs, going to school, and being able to voice opinions, these are the exceptions rather than the rule of female oppression by a male dominated society. When we hear stories of young women with mutilated faces because of disobedience to their husbands, and being murdered by their own brothers because one of their friends or a member of their family raped them we think, "Oh, how horrible! What a barbaric society that would allow that to happen!"

Think again.

It is estimated that more than one million children and adolescents are raped by a friend of the family or a family member. This kind of abuse is insidious, spreading malevolence throughout society. The subculture of pornography of pedophilia is growing into a billion dollar industry.  Thank goodness psychologists and psychiatrists are spreading the word that this is not a question of rehabilitation but is an epidemic of sickness with no known cure. Too bad, they do not recognize Jesus as the Great Physician. Is society becoming more barbaric and insensitive to atrocities?

Would that the people of Afghan as well as Christians would embrace the Great Healer for their societal wounds.

There is a woman governor in Afghan, there are women entrepreneurs, teachers, girls' schools which is truly no different than 1,400 years ago when Islam was first penned by Mohammad. When the U.S. pulls out will women fall back into bondage?

We can only hope and pray, I'm thinking. An article on Afghanistan Online states:

On March 6 and 7, a bevy of prominent Afghan women gathered in Kabul. They included such high-profile figures as the head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Sima Samar; the president of the Afghan Red Crescent, Fatima Gailani; and former State Minister for Women’s Affairs Mahbuba Hoquqmal. While their privileged station in life is far removed from those of their rural counterparts, they have spearheaded the campaign to bring qualitative improvements to the lives of Afghan women through legislation, and more importantly, by initiating a change in prevailing mindsets among men.
March 8, 2010
By Tanya Goudsouzian, Helena Malikyar Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 

A Marine killed in action in Iraq said that we had to teach these people how to live free. WE can hope that the ideal of freedom can be instilled within the hearts of men and women alike. One can't help but wonder what Afghanistan would be like if the people would catch on fire for Jesus. With that kind of passion aimed toward saving souls, the world would be so different.