The Horrors of Islamic Law

CNN today has a good writeup on the Saudi woman recently sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison after being kidnapped and violently raped by a gang of seven men. The court ruled that she was in violation of Saudi Arabia's Islamic law, because she was in the company of an unrelated man at the time of her abduction. Originally, she was sentenced to 90 lashes, but the judge increased her punishment after she appealed his verdict. Her lawyer, known to be a human rights attorney, has also faced harassment at the hands of the Saudi court. Despite the fact that Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz instituted reforms earlier this year to protect some women's rights, Islamic law still forbids Saudi women from driving or voting, and they can't testify in court, have surgery, or travel without the permission or supervision of a man. And for some reason, the U.S. still considers this country an ally. Read CNN's full article here.