Rape in Palermo: violence and oppression against women

Fighting the culture of rape: the appeal after the incident of Palermo

Violence and oppression against women

<<If I think about it, I feel disgusted, (…) but what should I do, meat is meat>>. Those words were spoken by one of the seven men guilty of the brutal rape of a young woman in Palermo. This comment demonstrates a biased awareness of the terrible act they committed, but the phrase "flesh is flesh" belies any trace of humanity.

Not only the enormous severity of the news story itself, which sees a woman brutalized, but also the contrivance of comments and justifications cited by the seven culprits and the threats of other assaults on the girl to punish her for having reported are disgusting and frightening . The complete lack of empathy towards a brutalized human being demonstrates a troubling violent and oppressive mentality.

“Let's make a mess, we spent a quarter of an hour compà and in a quarter of an hour she felt ill and fainted more than once…”

“We messed, we spent a quarter of an hour together and in a quarter of an hour she fell ill and fainted more than once”

Islam teaches respect and protection of women. In the Quran, it is stated that women are equal to men as human beings and that respect for them is a duty: “And it is among His signs that He has created for you wives from your own kind, so that you may find tranquility in them, and He has created love and kindness between you. Surely in this there are signs for a people who reflect”. (Sura al-Rum, 21).

In the Quran, it is stated that those who commit rape must be punished with the utmost severity: “Do not marry those who have committed fornication until they have repented of their sin; if they do, then accept them. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” (Sura al-Nur, 33). In this way, Islam emphasizes the importance of punishment for sexual crimes and the value of mercy and forgiveness for those who repent of their sins.

The consideration of women not as a human being, equal to those who perpetrate violence, but as an object without dignity and without the right to pity, is unacceptable. Furthermore, if the rape was filmed, this means that it was appreciated not only by the material perpetrators, but also by the recipients, who were also perpetrators and responsible for the criminal act.

The incident of the rape in Palermo demonstrates the urgency of combating the culture of rape and violence against women through education, prevention and punishment of the perpetrators. Islam teaches respect and protection of women. Unfortunately, many men do not respect these fundamental principles. It is imperative that the civil society takes responsibility for judging these acts as horrific crimes and not condoning or minimizing them at all. Only by doing so, will it be possible to create a culture of respect and dignity for all people, regardless of the religious affiliation.

Violence perpetrated against women and their discrimination represent a widespread and transversal practice in every part of the world. This scourge still represents one of the most difficult challenges to overcome today, requiring a constant and determined commitment by the whole society to guarantee the protection and dignity of women.

Editorial