Shazia Khalid and the U.S. struggle for women's rights in the Islamic world

[Pure]

Pakistan, key US ally in the war on terror and the effort to promote women's rights that began in Afghanistan and continued in Iraq.
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A Pakistani Rape, and a Pakistani Love Story

Tuesday, August 02 2005 @ 01:05 PM Central Daylight Time
Nicholas D. Kristof


Rapes occur in Pakistan at an estimated rate of one every two hours, and the rape itself is only the beginning of the horror. As in much of the world, the victim is frequently expected to atone for her "sin" by killing herself, while her attacker goes unscathed. But Dr. Shazia Khalid, through all her tears, guilt and self-doubt, pushed for something more: punishment for the man who raped her.

In my column on Sunday [reproduced, below], I described how local authorities reacted after Dr. Shazia was raped early this year: they drugged her and confined her to a psychiatric hospital to hush her up. It didn't work, and the incident provoked unrest in the wild area of Baluchistan, where the rape occurred, because of rumors that the rapist was not only an outsider, but also an army captain. President Pervez Musharraf became determined to make the embarrassment disappear.

So the authorities locked up Dr. Shazia and her husband, Khalid Aman, keeping them under house arrest for two months. Then officials began to hint that Dr. Shazia was a loose woman, perhaps even a prostitute - presumably as a way to pressure her and her husband to keep quiet.

Dr. Shazia, mortified, tried to kill herself. Mr. Khalid and their adopted son, Adnan, stopped her. Meanwhile, the family's patriarch, Mr. Khalid's grandfather, sent word that because Dr. Shazia had been raped, she was "kari" - a stain on the family's honor - and must be killed or at least divorced.

Then, Mr. Khalid said, his grandfather began gathering a mob to murder Dr. Shazia. "I was very angry because he must know that Shazia is innocent," Mr. Khalid said. "They treat a woman like a cow." General Musharraf was finding this couple's determination to get justice increasingly irritating. So, Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid said, the authorities ordered them to leave the country, and warned that if they stayed, they would be killed - by government "agencies" - and that no one would even find their bodies.

When Dr. Shazia demanded that Adnan be allowed to accompany her, the officials warned that there was no time and that she would be murdered if she delayed. Then the officials forced Dr. Shazia to make a video recording in which she thanked the government for helping her. And, she said, they warned her that if she had any contact with journalists or human rights groups, they would strike back at her - or at her relatives still in Pakistan. "They said, 'We know where your family is here,' " Dr. Shazia recalled. "I'm very scared and concerned about my family and their safety. But I believe we must tell the truth, and I have entrusted my family to God."

So the Pakistani officials put Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid on a plane to London, without their son. As soon as they arrived, Dr. Shazia inquired about asylum in Canada, where she has relatives and friends. But a Canadian bureaucrat rejected the asylum application on the ground that they were now safe in Britain. (Come on, Canadians - have you no heart?)

Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid are now living in a one-room dive in a bad neighborhood in London, while applying for asylum in Britain. Dr. Shazia dreams of someday returning to Pakistan to found a hospital for raped and battered women, but for now she is simply a lonely, fragile and frightened refugee who leaves her bare room only to make trips to a nearby Internet cafe.

With Dr. Shazia constantly tearful and unable to sleep at night, Mr. Khalid gave up his job to take care of her and drive home a message: "Shazia, you did nothing wrong. You are still pure!" Dr. Shazia's voice broke as she said: "Khalid supported me. He showed me his true love. ... He showed me that I have committed no sin. I am pure today, no matter what the world says."

Half-sobbing, she added: "I stay awake at night, thinking, 'Why me?' My career is ruined. My husband's career is ruined. I cannot see my son. ... If I had died then, it would have been better." But it wouldn't have been. Dr. Shazia's ordeal offers us a glimpse of life for women in much of the developing world today, and it's also a reminder of the one factor that gives me hope. That's the growing number of people who refuse to cower in the face of injustice and instead become forces for change. To me, Dr. Shazia is a hero, for her courage and determination - and, yes, her purity. (New York Times






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July 31, 2005, NY TIMES

Another Face of Terror

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, is supposed to be our valued ally in the war on terrorism. But terror takes many forms, not all of them hijacked airplanes or bombed subways.

For the vast majority of humans, terror comes in more mundane ways - like the violent hands that woke Dr. Shazia Khalid as she lay sleeping in her bed, and the abuse she's suffered at the hands of Mr. Musharraf's government ever since.

I mentioned Dr. Shazia briefly in June when I wrote about General Musharraf's quasi-kidnapping and house arrest of Mukhtaran Bibi - the Pakistani rape victim who used compensation money to open schools and start a women's aid group. But at that time Dr. Shazia was still too terrified to speak out.

Now, for the first time, Dr. Shazia has agreed to tell her full story, even though this will put herself and her loved ones at risk. Her tale is simultaneously an indictment of General Musharraf's duplicity, a window into the debasement that is the lot of women in much of the world - and a modern love story.

Dr. Shazia, now 32, took a job by herself two years ago as a doctor at a Pakistan Petroleum plant in the wild Pakistani region of Baluchistan, after Pakistan Petroleum also promised a job for her husband there (that job never materialized). Dr. Shazia's family worried about her safety, but her residence was in a guarded compound and she felt strongly that the women in that region needed access to a female physician.

Then on Jan. 2, Dr. Shazia woke up in the middle of the night, and at first she thought she was having a nightmare. "But this person was really pulling hard on my hair, and then he started pressing on my throat so I couldn't breathe. ... He tied the telephone cord around my throat. I resisted and struggled, and he beat me on the head with the telephone receiver. When I tried to scream, he said, 'Shut up - there's a man standing outside named Amjad, and he's got kerosene. If you scream, I'll take it and burn you alive.' ... Then he took my prayer scarf and he blindfolded me with it, and he took the telephone cord and tied my wrists, and he laid me down on the bed. I tried hard to fight but he raped me."

The man spent the night in her room, beating her, casually watching television, raping her again and boasting about his powerful connections. A 35-page confidential report by a tribunal describes Dr. Shazia tumbling into the nurse's quarters that morning: "semiconscious ... with a swelling on her forehead and bleeding from nose and ear." Officials of Pakistan Petroleum rushed over and took decisive action.

"They told me to be quiet and not to tell anybody because it would ruin my reputation," Dr. Shazia remembers. One official warned that if she reported the crime, she could be arrested.

That was a genuine risk. Under Pakistan's hudood laws, a woman who reports that she has been raped is liable to be arrested for adultery or fornication - since she admits to sex outside of marriage - unless she can provide four male eyewitnesses to the rape.

Dr. Shazia wasn't sure she dared to report the crime, but she begged for permission to contact her family. So, she says, officials drugged her into a stupor and then confined her in a psychiatric hospital in Karachi.

"They wanted to declare me crazy," Dr. Shazia said bitterly. "That's why they shifted me to a hospital for crazy people."

Dr. Shazia's husband, Khalid Aman, was working as an engineer in Libya, but he finally was notified and rushed back 11 days later. Dr. Shazia, by then freed, couldn't face him, but he comforted her, told her that she had done nothing wrong, and insisted that they report the rape to the police so that the criminal could be caught.

That was, perhaps, naïve, particularly because there were rumors that the police had identified the rapist as a senior army officer and were covering up for him.

"When I treat rape victims, I tell the girls not to go to the police," Dr. Shershah Syed, a prominent gynecologist in Karachi, told me. "Because if she goes to the police, the police will rape her."

That's the way the world works for anyone unfortunate enough to be born female in much of the world. In my next column, on Tuesday, I'll tell how our ally, General Musharraf, then inflicted a new round of terrorism on Dr. Shazia.


E-mail: nicholas@nytimes.com

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Pure, thank you for bringing this to the attention of those who don't know what goes on in other parts of the world.

 

[My I]

Wow. That's a shame.

But what is it you expect us to do about it now?

Shhould we turn our troops attention to overthrowing the Pakistani government? Should we invade Pakistan and kill millions of people because their way of life is different from ours? Are we going to be the world police for womens rights?

Judging by the multitude of threads I've seen here lately that's going to go over like a lead balloon. Everyone is screaming and crying over our troops dying in Iraq when they aren't killing babies and blowing up innocent civilians in hospitals just to protect those people HUMAN rights. We don't seem to care that the remnants of Hussein's murderous regime are trying to take back Iraq so that they can continue to murder and maim for ethnic cleansing. It's too far away. It's not our problem. But that's really about the oil isn't it?

Or maybe what we should do is sponsor thousands of people to go to Pakistan and picket in front of their capital in the name of women's rights. That should always take pecedence of over human rights, shouldn't it?

Don't get me wrong, what their doing is wrong. But when human rights in other countries is not our problem to deal with, what makes this so different? If the hundreds of thousands of people Hussein killed and tortured was not our concern, why is this?

BTW: Just how much oil do we get from Pakistan?

 

[R. Richard]

As has been pointed out, women's rights in Pakistan is not really a United States problem.

However, it is a human rights problem and a bad one. Where is the United Nations?

 

[rgraham666]

The people that rape women think they are strong, 'manly'.

But they're nothing but the lowest cowards on the earth. And the people who support them, like Khalid's grandfather are even lower than that.

I try hard not to judge, but these people I wouldn't even urinate on as such an act would be ennobling them.

 

[LadyJeanne]

As has been pointed out, women's rights in Pakistan is not really a United States problem.

However, it is a human rights problem and a bad one. Where is the United Nations?

What can the UN do? Issue a condemnation? They're certainly not going to be able to send troops to rescue the female population of Pakistan on humanitarian grounds - what country would commit their military to that? Could they impose economic sanctions? That didn't work so well to change the behavior of the Iraqi leadership. I honestly don't know what the UN can do for women in developing countries around the world where women are merely property.

And it's not just the Islamic nations. Infanticide of girl babies and burning of widows along with the cremation of their departed husbands is still a relatively common practice in India, and not just in the rural areas. Can we do anything about that?

 

[rgraham666]

What we do is present an example to them with our own actions.

And we wait for them to die out.

Any culture that treats the women in it that way is cutting itself off from more than half the creative energy that exists there. And they waste even more by expending it maintaining such a retrograde state of affairs.

Cultures like that can't last long.

Now we just have to keep our weaknesses from destroying us.

 

[LadyJeanne]

What we do is present an example to them with our own actions.

And we wait for them to die out.

Any culture that treats the women in it that way is cutting itself off from more than half the creative energy that exists there. And they waste even more by expending it maintaining such a retrograde state of affairs.

Cultures like that can't last long.

Now we just have to keep our weaknesses from destroying us.

I wish that cultures like that didn't last long. But they have. For centuries! For far longer than our Western cultures with their more emancipated view of women have.

 

[My I]

What we do is present an example to them with our own actions.

And we wait for them to die out.

Any culture that treats the women in it that way is cutting itself off from more than half the creative energy that exists there. And they waste even more by expending it maintaining such a retrograde state of affairs.

Cultures like that can't last long.

Now we just have to keep our weaknesses from destroying us.

I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Chevalier, but their culture has been around for a couple thousand years. Do you really think you can change their minds by setting an example?

Why do you think the terrorists are attacking your countries? They hate your people for trying to force your modern standards on their cultures. You want to change cultural traditions that are older than the christianity your government are supported by. The only way you are going to change them is too bomb the hell out of them and drag them all, kicking and screaming, into YOUR way of life.

 

[oggbashan]

What has been written about is against the law in Pakistan.

The problem is with those who have to enforce the law. In parts of Pakistan, religious law has precedence over the country's law and village councils have authority to enforce religious law. That is changing slowly and brave women (and men) in Pakistan are fighting to get the country's civil laws enforced everywhere, even against fierce resistance from local justices who control the police.

A good parallel would be the Civil Rights movement in the US. The community as a whole has to accept the need for change and to be ashamed of its previous behaviour. That has a long way to go in Pakistan and some religious groups are fighting hard to retain the laws against women.

Fifty years ago in the US it was seen to be a crime to be black and wanting to vote and you could die for it. In Pakistan it can be seen as a crime to be a woman refusing to accept unjust laws - and you can die for it. Pakistan is moving slowly towards a more just society. It takes time to change attitudes that have been entrenched for generations. At least Pakistan is trying. Don't blame a whole country for the part that is defying the central government.

Og

 

[Guest]

ROFPMPLMAO!!!!​

I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Chevalier, but their culture has been around for a couple thousand years. Do you really think you can change their minds by setting an example?

Why do you think the terrorists are attacking your countries? They hate your people for trying to force your modern standards on their cultures. You want to change cultural traditions that are older than the christianity your government are supported by. The only way you are going to change them is too bomb the hell out of them and drag them all, kicking and screaming, into YOUR way of life.

Why would you be so rude to Rob over something like this? What's your problem?

It doesn't matter how much they hate our culture. It will be Pakistani citizens, like Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid, who will lead the way for change. The push for change has to be internal, and it will take time.

 

[Pure]

My I:

The only way you are going to change them is too bomb the hell out of them and drag them all, kicking and screaming, into YOUR way of life.

Do a sort of a replay, I take it. Happy Hiroshima Day.

 

[Edward Teach]

ROFPMPLMAO!!!!​

I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Chevalier, but their culture has been around for a couple thousand years. Do you really think you can change their minds by setting an example?

Why do you think the terrorists are attacking your countries? They hate your people for trying to force your modern standards on their cultures. You want to change cultural traditions that are older than the christianity your government are supported by. The only way you are going to change them is too bomb the hell out of them and drag them all, kicking and screaming, into YOUR way of life.

Your sig line:

The truth cannot be written down or spoken. Once it is spoken or written it becomes knowledge. And knowledge is not truth because knowledge is fixed in time. Truth is ever moving and changing without regard to time. As soon as you pause to reflect, it is not truth. ~ Brian Enos

 

[Colleen Thomas]

ROFPMPLMAO!!!!​

I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Chevalier, but their culture has been around for a couple thousand years. Do you really think you can change their minds by setting an example?

Why do you think the terrorists are attacking your countries? They hate your people for trying to force your modern standards on their cultures. You want to change cultural traditions that are older than the christianity your government are supported by. The only way you are going to change them is too bomb the hell out of them and drag them all, kicking and screaming, into YOUR way of life.

Don't know who you are. Don't know what rock you crawled out from under. Don't particualrly care.

There are two types of posters here, those who remain civil and those who make themselves irrelevant by being pricks. Tossing stones at someone like ROb makes you about as big a prick as can be. Your other infflamatory BS notwithstanding. Welcome to irrelevance.

 

[Pure]

What to do?

LadyJeanne and some others say.

Let's not underestimate the power of publicity and condemnation, i.e., the methods of amnesty intern'l among others.

Ms. Shazia and the very obscure Muktaran Bibi are alive today because of publicity.

Oddly enough, tyrannical regimes are *very antsy about their image, in many cases.

So talk about it, write about it. Write protests to the Ambassor from Pakistan, and send communications to other high Pakistani officials.

As well, support grassroots mvts like that Ms. Bibi started.

 

[My I]

My apologies for being rude. I have a habit of being blunt because the people I deal with daily are are generally unreasonable.

However, Mr. Graham's post was laughably uninformed, childishly idealistic and incredibly naive.

Does he really expect every eastern culture to just accept that their way of live has been wrong for 5000+ years and they must be like the west just because we asked them nicely?

I'm sorry but reading his post, I was picturing a 5 year old Shirley Temple pouting and shaking her finger saying, "You bad people stop being bad or we won't like you anymore."

 

[Colleen Thomas]

My apologies for being rude. I have a habit of being blunt because the people I deal with daily are are generally unreasonable.

However, Mr. Graham's post was laughably uninformed, childishly idealistic and incredibly naive.

Does he really expect every eastern culture to just accept that their way of live has been wrong for 5000+ years and they must be like the west just because we asked them nicely?

I'm sorry but reading that, I was picturing a 5 year old Shirley Temple pouting and shaking her finger saying, "You bad people stop being bad or we won't like you anymore."

Very few of the people who come on like you did are Man (woman) enough to stand up and apologize. I respect that highly.

If you range to the conservative side, toleration of idealism and naivety are survival skills here.

If you range towards the liberal, toleration of Cynicism and black & white perspective are just as vital.

If you have a good point and in this case you probably have a very good one, you can present them here without the invective. AS a conservative who thought all liberals were idiots when I first started posting, I can tell you the people here will in general engage you in debate that is pretty open and will, if you make them, accede to your points. It's a different atmosphere than any I've encountered online and it's a lot more civil than most.

Happy poting

 

[Weird Harold]

Does he really expect every eastern culture to just accept that their way of live has been wrong for 5000+ years and they must be like the west just because we asked them nicely?

Just a nit-pick, but the religion at the heart of Pakistan's (and many other coutries') problem is only about 1,500 year old; younger than Christianity.

Islam does codify some cultural elements that can be traced back much further and other religions with similar concepts about women are much older than either Islam or Christianity. But the problem is not cultural stagnation, but religious dogmatism. The culture and the civil government are willing to change, but the religion isn't at least the religious fundamentalists aren't willing to change.

Outside forces -- mostly in the form of international publicity and condemnation -- can have an effect, but as Colly and others have said the change has to come from within and from the grass-roots up.

This is a problem that there is nothing I can do anything about -- not even by eriting letters to the the Pakistani Ambassador or Pakistani newspapers becuase I'm an outsider and worse yet, and American outsider. Anything that I, personally, might venture to correct the problem is as likely to harden resistance as it is to "enlighten" the Pakistani.

 

[rgraham666]

Oh, what a horrid and idiotic person I am, thinking that the best way to change other people's behaviour was to set an example and act in a wise and good manner.

When as My I pointed out, the only choice is to get down in the mud with them and murder them all.

What a fool I was. I bow before the person who lifted the scales from my eyes.

OK. Enough sarcasm.

There goes Nietszche, echoing in my mind again.

"Beware when you battle monsters,
lest you become a monster.
And as you gaze into the abyss,
the abyss gazes also,
into you."

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Chevalier, but their culture has been around for a couple thousand years. Do you really think you can change their minds by setting an example?

I hate to burst your bubble, but how do you think that the Western world came to even acknowledge women as human beings? During the early middle ages, women were not even considered people in Europe, and by being confronted with the example set by a superior culture that - while not giving to women the same rights as to men - respected and considered them. Do you want to know what culture was that?