hanging

Folks, we’ve had a small victory. Small. You may or may not be aware that Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was to be stoned to death in Iran, because she had been convicted of adultery. Groups all over the world have put pressure on Iran to end the barbaric (and often misogynistic) practice of stoning.

According to the Guardian:

A 43-year-old Iranian woman will not be stoned to death after an international campaign launched by her children.

It is unclear whether the authorities have lifted the death sentence for alleged adultery against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani or if she faces execution by another means.

I see this as a good start, but only a start. With added pressure we just might be able to save a life. I won’t let myself believe that a less excruciating death is somehow a victory.

I do not believe that any religion would condemn a woman to death for sexual activity. I don’t care if she had a gang bang with a football team in front of a mosque.

Please continue contacting your elected officials, and The United Nations. Our message should change just slightly.You can copy and paste these into a twitter message:

@UN Please require that member nations not execute adulterers#Ashtiani http://bit.ly/Ashtiani

@UN_womenwatch Please require that member nations not execute adulterers #Ashtiani http://bit.ly/Ashtiani

I understand that these may seem basic, if you’re in a non-Muslim country it’s inconceivable to us that anyone would be put to death for sexual activity. The harsh reality is that women are abused and murdered regularly, and religion is used as an excuse.

I absolutely will not condemn Muslims here, I know wonderful Muslims and privately they condemn these murders as do I.

Please use the same messages as we did on my prior post, and rather than asking your public officials to save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from Stoning, please ask them to save her from death.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is not the only woman sentenced to die for touching a man, she’s simply in the news this week.

This is also interesting timing as the United Nations is hosting an Online Discussion now through July 20th on the linkages between women’s and girls’ access to and participation in formal and non-formal education and training, and their equal access to full employment and decent work. This discussion is in preparation for the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Join them.