Wil's Rant

I have long held the view that the laws in some Islamic countries were grossly unjust. This latest round only serves to stress the Point even further. It certainly brings home the concept that it is definitely not a good thing to be a woman in some of these countries. In Iran a woman (?) can be executed for immorality as young as nine years old. For men the figure is seventeen years old. In a current case a retarded girl who was forced into prostitution by her mother is slated to be executed. There are so many things wrong with this picture that it is hard to know where to start. I don't actually believe in the death sentence at all. This stems from the thought that if it is wrong for a person to kill, then it is even more so for the state to do it. At least in the case of a person there may be circumstances that caused the individual to lose their minds resulting in their actions. The state could never use this excuse. Second is the fact that they are effectively executing a child over the actions of the parent. Third is the inhumane methods of execution currently used in Iran. Fourth is the fact that woman are considered less than human there and have no rights whatsoever, a crime against over half the worlds population. If anyone reading this would like to raise a protest they can use the instructions from Amnesty International to send it to officials in Iran. The world seems to be heading for another great religious war. I hope I am wrong but cases like this certainly demonstrate what may cause it. I might think that the women in Iran, and other nations where the laws are so out of kilt with moral equality, would actually fight against the men in their own society with laws like these. The problem is that not all Muslims believe in this type of repression. These more fair minded Muslims will end up suffering along with the bad ones in any conflict which results. In Canada at least, there are many Muslims who have migrated here and live in peace, prosperity, and happiness with their neighbors of all religions and faiths. They even participate in Christmas celebrations, not because they share all our beliefs but because they respect their neighbors and celebrate the concept of peace and giving which is actually a very big part of the Muslim faith as well. This is not a sell out of their faith as opposed to embracing the diversity of life and respecting each others right to practice their faith without the interference of others. I continue to hope that more rational minds will prevail in the world before it is too late. Stories like this one make me think that this will not be the case and the final resolution will come with many deaths and even more intolerance.