Why should I, Sean, an American, an atheist, care if a woman is stoned in Pakistan under Islamic law?

Question

If a woman is raped and does not produce four male witnesses she is stoned as an adulteror.

Why should I, Sean, an atheist, care if this is Islamic law in another country.

What difference could it make to me, an American. What obligation do I have to share what truth I know.

Answer 1

Because if you don't stand up for her now; when Islamic law rules in America, nobody will stand up for you.

Answer 2

Aside from questions of 'humanity' or 'universal morality'...

Being an Atheist-American can most likely get you stoned to death under Islamic law as well. I do not know as much about the various Islamic faiths than I would like, but I think there are clauses about how to deal with non-believers.

Also, this attack on a person's credibility and lack of equality under the law lends to a culture of abuse, fear, slander, and a host of other practices that have nothing to do with neither fairness nor merit. This is not just a male/female issue... it involves a whole host of disparate situations.

The longer this type of behavior continues, the stronger and more entrenched it becomes... eventually, those attitudes will reach whatever part of America you reside in... assuming they are not already there.

Answer 3

Did you ever watch Seinfeld? I did, but there were quite a few episodes, where Georges behavior was so distasteful to me, I had to turn it off. I am not a prude, but his behavior is embarassing.

When I was in Europe and I see some arrogant loud mouth American making as *** of himself in a restraunt or something - I am embarassed (and I hope no one notices that I am American too because I don't want to be associated with such an obnoxious pig).

When I see my kids fighting with one another, I as a mother feel anger and compassion as I try to break it up, tend to who's hurt, get to the bottom of the issue and then decide what is "fair".

As humans we are here as a group - all of us. And when i hear of someone in the next state or around the world treating people so terribly, so shamefully I can't help but to get angry and feel compassion for the person who is mistreated. I am often amazed at the disgusting violent things that people do - from guesome murder stories on the evening news, to racial and religious indignities - I can't believe that I am part of the same race. I can't imagine what circumstances I would have to be put under to behave in that way - and I sure hope I never have to find out.

If you could allow another to die, simply because you didn't want to share your knowledge - I ... I... I can hardly think of the words to say how shameful i think that would be.

Answer 4

You're wrong. If a woman was raped, she will not be treated as an adulterer, but rather as a victim. Four witnesses are needed to prove adultery against men and women, in the case of sex done by free will. There's a rule in Islam, that anything you were absolutely forced to do, doesn't count that includes dangerous things like:
-Blasphemy
-Murder
-Theft and any other herrondous crimes. And the raper's punishment is harsh, and may come to death penalty.

Answer 5

You're right on both accounts. It doesn't make any difference at all unless you do something that would "actually" help them... and you have absolutely no obligation whatsoever to share what you know.

However, just by asking the question, it says that you are aware and at least you do think about it. Who knows, that may be a trigger for those who really will be able to help. In my opinion, "it's the thought that matters" doesn't make much sense to me. People who believe in this sentence says it so s/he will have less guilt to deal with.

I truly think that the larger population of the world does happen to have a conscience. By the same token, I don't think a person is bad if s/he doesn't react in shock for learning about something horrific.

Answer 6

This is a simple question. You should care because someday the attitude that allows the radical Muslims to stone a woman in that situation may produce a religion in your country that causes all the athiests in it to be beheaded.

You do not have the right to sit in your athiesm and say, "Well they want that, let them have it!"

The truth is, Sean, that we who are atheists must rise up and say, "Look at what you are doing!" They will never listen of course but we must try to get them to see the stupidity.

Answer 7

If you assume that the woman understood that she had a choice in selecting her religion and the culture she was brought up in, I suppose you should not care, just as I would not care if you died and went to hell for being an atheist, or if you, being an American, were falsely accused and convicted of rape because there was no DNA evidence, only the victim's testimony. After all, you chose to stay in the US and run that risk, eh?

Answer 8

why does Sean, an American, yada yada, etc and so forth care about anything? Truthfully, you are nbot obligated to care about much other than what directly effects you. Humans, and even some other species often choose to care about things that may not firectly effect them. the world would be an uglier place if people did not care about things that may not effect them. the quackers were fierece abolitionists even though the area they were most plentiful in did not have slaves and their members were certainly not black. nobody is going to force you to care. You either do or you dont.

Answer 9

Because you, just like her, are a citizen of this planet.

One would hope that you have compassion for your fellow planet-mates, and would not want for the rape or the stoning to happen to another person.

Your only obligation is to humanity, and you should always share truth, if it can help the situation.

Answer 10

I have a question for u, if there is something u can do about this to change it by all means do it, rather if your atheist,christian,buddist,american,or russian what purpose do u have in life if u just wait around for everyone else to make a difference. And besides what if this was you being stoned you could NEVER say that you would't want someone to care about whats happing to you, or for them try to do something about your situation.

Answer 11

As an American you should respect true justice, and how difficult would it be to produce four witnesess for a rape. How many victims of rape have people watching, and if they watched and did nothing...would they be the kind of people to confess it. You should care when any innocent person is killed, because if she were your sister or mother who was raped you would want other people to care. People should always care.