8/3/2019 Universal Attitudes- Lagrange

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/universal-attitudes-lagrange 1/2

CarlosLagrange

Rwanda:Politicsofchange

Universalattitudestowardsrape

Throughoutthecourseoftime,theactofnon-consensualsex,orrape,hasbeen

widespreadandpresentinallofhumansocieties,cultures,andcivilizations.

Frombeingconnotedassomethingnegative,tobeingopenlypromoted,the

attitudestowardscommittingsuchanactareasdiverseasthesocietiesitis

performedin.Followingmygroupresearch,I’llbebrieflyintroducingthree

generallyemployedattitudesofthreedifferentcountries;SaudiArabia,Iran,and

theUnitedStates.

Beingreligiouscountries,SaudiArabiaandIranarehighlyinfluenced,ifnot

completelydrivenbyIslamicthought.Bothcountrieslegalsystemisbasedupon

whatiscalled“Sharialaw”,createdbycumulativedoctrinesspecifiedinHoly

ScripturessuchastheQur’an.Ifamanisfoundguiltyofrape,undersuchasetof

laws,heshouldtheoreticallybegiventhedeathpenalty.Theproblemhowever

ariseswhenthewholejudicialprocessisnotonlydubious,butthreatensto

convertthevictimsthemselvesintoperpetrators,withthepunishment

sometimesrevertingitselfuntotheaccusingvictim.“Victimblaming”,orblaming

thevictimforbeingresponsibleofbeingrapedbecauseshewasn’twearingher

Hijabiscommonthroughoutthesociety.Onenotoriousexampleoccurredin

September2004inDenmark,whenthemuftiShahidMehdioftheIslamic

CulturalCenterinCopenhagensaidontheDanishtelevisionprogram“Talkto

God”thatwomenwhoventureoutsidewithoutahijabare“askingforrape”.The

societiesattitudetowardsrapeseemstostemfromitsattitudetowardswomen,

orhowmoreimplicitly,Islamisttheologyportrayswomenassecond-class

citizensincomparisontomen.Thisunderlyingidea,spreadthroughoutthe

mindsofmenthatfunctionasJudges,policeofficers,orevenwitnesses,creates

anunbalancedviewofjusticeinmanyifnotmostofreportedrapecases.The

resultisasocietywererapeismadetaboo,highlyunreported,andpoorly

condemned.

8/3/2019 Universal Attitudes- Lagrange

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/universal-attitudes-lagrange 2/2

TheUnitedStates,asaheavilycontrastedattitude,triestobeasopenaspossible

whenitcomestorape,yetisstillalongwayfromeliminatingit.Asopposedto

IranandSaudiArabia,theUnitedStateshasmuchmorerecordedcasesofrape,andastheofficialFBIfiguressuggest,1/6ofAmericanhaveexperienced

attempted,orcompleteformsofrape.Thisismainlyduetoajusticesystemthat

ismorefavorabletothevictims,offeringthemabetterchanceofjusticethan

mostIslamiccountries,where“ShariaLaw’”isinplace.Althoughvictimsare

betteroffintheUnitedStates,FBIresearchsuggestthatmostrapesstillgo

unreportedduetoshameofthevictim,orbecauseatmanytimes,therapistisa

relativeorfriend.OtherhighprofilerapecasesoccurintheUnitedStatesgrowingpenitentiarysystem,whereinmatesareoftensubjectedtorepeated

rapingfromotherinmates.Althoughrapistsareheavilypunishedbysometype

ofsentenceintheUnitedStates,verylittleelseisdonetopreventrapesfrom

occurringwidespreadthroughoutprisons;consideringthatrapecasesarerarely

reportedinprisons.

AlthoughtheattitudestowardsrapeareexplicitlydifferentinIran,SaudiArabia,

andtheUnitedStates,theredoseemtosharecommonvaluesthatmaygive

insightonthenatureofrapecases.Itisclear,thatalthough92%percentofrape

victimsarewomen,verylittleisdonetoempowerthemagainstpreventing,or

effectivelyaccusingtheirperpetrators.Theyremainopentoshame,punishment,

andstigmatizinginsocietiesthatshouldrathercondemntherapistandnotthe

victim.Itisonlyincontemporarytimesthatpeopleseemtobeactinguponthis

principleandpromotingactivismintheUnitedStatesandotherpartsofthe

world,encouragingpeopletoadheretoanattitudethatempowerswomen,

victims,andallthosewhoopposerapeexistingasasilent,undervaluedcrime.