“I never lost my virginity… it was stolen!” a statement describing the attitude of a rape victim, blaming the offender for his horrible crime. Rape is the term used to describe sexual intercourse committed without a person’s consent and/or against a person’s will through force or threat of force. There is a universal consensus on considering rape as a crime, a social ailment that requires treatment by all available means.
DEC 16 RAPE CASE IN INDIA:
The gang rape of a 23-year-old student on a public bus, on 16 December 2012, sparked large protests across the capital Delhi.
She was with a male friend who was severely beaten with an iron rod during the incident.
Within 24-hour period after the gang rape of the victim, just thirteen days before her death due to this ghastly attack, at least two girls under the age of 18 were gang raped and one of them was murdered.
MPs in both houses demanded strict punishment for those who carried out the attack. Leader of the Lok Sabha, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, demanded that “the rapists should be hanged“. Thousands of people, mostly young, participated in a massive demonstration in 22 December in protest. Police announced that six men suspected of rape had been arrested. As a result of this incident, Govt said, it will improve the lighting of roads and public transport and there will be more police patrols to ensure the safety of women. But the question arises, so much for the tragedy?
The laws of Islam have come to protect women’s honour and modesty. Let us discuss in this article the point of view of Islam to create a rape free society. Sexual crimes can be prevented by measures undertaken by the family and the community. Many communities with rising sexual crime rates have failed to recognize the social antecedents of the crimes and have lacked the courage and will to eradicate them These communities adopt what would amount to an ‘ostrich head in the sand’ attitude. While on one hand they tolerate or even encourage sexual norms, entertainment, and commercial advertising that stimulate and glorify deviant sexual passions, on the other hand they complain about increase of sexual crimes. They refuse to acknowledge what is obvious to the naked eye that currently accepted social norms lead to sexual transgressions.
QURAN
“O mankind! Fear your Lord (Creator – Almighty Allah)) and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Resurrection) is a terrible thing. The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allah”. (22:1, 2)
“But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e., in Jannah)”. (55:46)
PROPHET MUHAMMED (PEACE BE UPON HIM)
Prophet’s (pbuh) Companion ‘Adi bin Hatim (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
“Every one of you will speak to his Lord (Creator or Almighty Allah) without an interpreter between them. He will look to his right side and will see only the deeds he had previously done; he will look to his left and will see only the deeds he had previously done, and he will look in front of him and will see nothing but Fire (of Hell) before his face. “
So protect yourselves from Fire (of Hell), even by giving half a date-fruit (in charity)”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
- No vision can grasp Him
- But His grasp is over All vision
- He is Above all comprehension
- Yet is acquainted with all things Holy Qur’an 6:103
“God created men and women. He also created their characters, instincts and organic needs. Such needs are constantly provoked in different degrees … which have to be satisfied accordingly… Islamic laws (shari’a) handle such problems by simply organizing those needs and instincts’ satisfaction, without trying to obstruct or deprive them, nor through chaotic satisfaction, nor even satisfying some instincts on each other’s expense… “.
1. Internal/personal, which includes creed (cognition), and the system of worship and moral conduct (behavior).
2. External/socio-political, including clothing criteria, male female relations’ regulation, banning provocative stimulants, and punishment for criminals.
Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. For Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur’an – 39:53)
In brief, the Islamic creed provides a believer with a purpose of life, as well as an effective cognitive immunity to deviancy and delinquency. It ingrains in the psyche a moral impetus that effectively prevents the individual from committing criminal acts. It also empowers one’s adherence to the moral code provided by the Qur’an, making its commands and prohibitions much more binding than any man-made set of laws or moral code.
Other pre-emptive measures exist in the Islamic system in order to prevent uncontrolled desires and illicit behavior. The most important procedure consists of avoidance of all stimuli that would lead to arousal. The sexual feeling is an instinctual aspect which is never excited internally. It rather necessitates an external exciting factor. One of the theories of stimulation in behavioral psychology indicates that an instinctive behavior aiming for satiation is caused by a certain releaser. In the case of rape, the primary releaser causing the crime is the female’s body. Findings indicate that males are stimulated through visual stimuli in terms of sexual activity. One of the Islamic duties is wearing decent clothing, and thus concealing the stimulating features of a woman’s body, and hence helps in avoiding male excitement. In addition to that, God commands the believers, males and females, to avoid contemplating and staring on each other’s bodies. This helps in preventing attraction that would be the first step into fornication. The following verse also indicates the people before whom a woman is allowed not to be wearing the hijab:
Ikhtilat, defined as mixing of men and women, can lead to sexual transgression. When men and women are together the natural sexual attractiveness could lead them into temptation. When mixing is unavoidable for societal necessity, the Law on male-female interaction has prescribed certain etiquettes. Awrat (shameful parts) must be covered as prescribed by the Law. Men and women who are strangers to one another have to lower their gaze, and not look at each other fixedly and for a prolonged time. Both genders must have haya (modesty). If a man and woman talk to one another they must be serious, and not engage in frivolous talk that could lead to temptation.
Tabarruj is sexually provocative dress or behavior that can lead to sexual transgression. Ornamentation must be concealed from public display and should only be within the confines of the home.
Violating the privacy of the home leads to sexual transgression. A stranger is not allowed to enter a home unless given permission. This ensures that the house occupants’ nakedness will not be exposed accidentally. Rooms within the home are also private territory that should not be entered before asking for permission.
Rape is completely forbidden in Islam, and is a crime punishable by death.In Islam, capital punishment is reserved for the most extreme crimes which harm individual victims or destablize society. Rape falls into both of the categories.Islam takes very seriously the honor and protection of women. The Quran repeatedly reminds men to treat women with kindness and fairness. Rape is a horrible crime which causes a women humiliation and physical harm.Throughout Islamic history there have been scholars who classified rape as a form of terrorism (hiraba).
The legal punishment is that the accused will be stoned to death (rajm).
And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. (Quran – 25:68)