Acid Thrown on Muslim Woman who Demands Retribution

An interesting debate began between a friend and Aishah Schwartz. It would be great for any of you out there to weigh in. After reading the following story, tell us how YOU think justice should be served in this case.

Tehran journalist Asieh Amini, who writes about human rights and opposes the sentence, said protest has been muted because people have been moved by Bahrami’s story. “It’s hard not to get emotional over what has happened to her,” Amini said. (Continued here: http://wwrn.org/article.php?idd=29826)

JUSTICE SERVED? ‘Woman Blinded by Spurned Man Invokes Islamic Retribution’

The friend said: OK, so this is really interesting, yet at the same time, I am not sure what to think. I, like many here in the US, struggle with the death penalty. I think it’s more punishment to sit in jail for the rest of your life to think about what you’ve done, than to get the “easy out,” if you will. However, if this sentence is carried out, will it really bring retribution to not only this Muslim woman but to all women? Must a punishment such as this occur for men to understand that they cannot get away with this kind of violence anymore? If acid attacks against women keep going unpunished, then men will continue to do it -however, to give the same punishment back (albeit partial, compared to what this woman suffered)…I just don’t know.

AISHAH SCHWARTZ ADDED:

Yes, indeed, the case and the verdict are interesting.

I am aware that Muslims are taught that God is with the righteous; and that, from a Christian perspective, according to a verse in the Bible stating, roughly, that “‘Vengeance is mine,’ sayeth the Lord.”

However, it is also said, “Two ‘wrongs’ don’t [necessarily] make a ‘right’.”

That said there is the issue of: “With little left to lose, Bahrami took the unusual step of asking the court for qisas, or eye-for-an-eye retribution as allowed under Islamic law. Courts usually order families of the accused to pay ‘blood money’ for the crimes.”

So, under what the article refers to as Islamic Law, the world would be led to understand that Bahrami has the right to demand ‘eye-for-an-eye’ retribution or to receive ‘blood money’ – for her loss [pain and suffering] – yet, Islam also teaches that we are to be patient in enduring suffering, that our reward is with God.

Islam also teaches that God is ‘oft-forgiving’ – ‘most merciful’ [etc.], and that we are to do our best to also extend forgiveness and mercy toward others.

So, from one perspective, the world perceives Islamic teachings as barbaric, something the media purports at every opportunity, while on the flip-side Muslims want the world to believe that Islam is peace, mercy, etc. and we struggle at every opportunity to advance that concept by attempting to counter the negative with positive.

At the same time, it cannot be denied that, for example, in Saudi Arabia, because of corporal punishment, crime rates are significantly lower than in other parts of the world, yet, in the very same country, there are also a shockingly barbaric examples of the unequal/archaic treatment of the very women that Islam teaches are to be honored and treated equally or even with reverence (i.e., “Paradise is at the feet of your mother”). (Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Indonesia are three other predominantly Muslim countries ranked as having among the lowest crime rates in the world.)

So how do we find a balance? Can we have it ‘both’ ways and expect the world to view Islam as the ‘religion of peace’ at the same time?

From a personal (or perhaps expressed as emotional) point of view, someone who believes he has done nothing wrong is certainly not going to ’suffer’ as he ‘rots’ his proverbial life away in a prison – if Islamic law mandates the victim’s request – let the execution of the sentence commence.

How dare the perpetrator of this horrific crime attempt to diminish the victim’s suffering or the act made against her by suggesting faked blindness!

Again, on the other hand, the article describes the victim as having ‘little left to lose’ – an undeniably legitimate argument – however, what, exactly is it that we expect to carry with us from this dunya into the next life? Where do we expect to earn the greater reward for our deeds or suffering?

In this life or the hereafter?