Not even a faint flicker of hope

Since the clerics are so much in these days, one can’t ignore the fact when they prefer to keep their mouths shut. And that also happens on a variety of occasions.

In the early 80s, some landlords in Punjab made women parade naked on the streets. They even blackened their faces. And this evil practice of insulting the very existence of women still continues to this day. I have never heard of any fatwa issued against this evil practice. I’m sure these maulanas cannot even think of taking a stand against such influential feudal lords.

It was on a panchayat order that a woman was gang-raped by men in this country. 3 year old girl child was raped & later on killed by 2 policemen. More than a decade ago, when an infant was left on the stairs of the mosque, one maulana ordered people to lynch the baby as he could have been illegitimate. Such babies are murdered every day but yeah they are killed in different way. Sometimes they even get rid of such babies by throwing acid on them; sometimes they leave them in garbage where strays harm them; sometimes they are buried alive. Clerics were even against Edhi when Edhi & his wife decided to provide home to such babies & begged people not to kill them.

I think the contribution of these clergymen is zero & when they do contribute, it’s invariably evil. They instigate people & those idiots kill people. This is not Islam.

Lately 2 pregnant women were tortured & killed by their own families but I never heard any fatwa against such husbands. Yesterday I reported about a woman who was tortured cause she took a short cut to reach home early & I’m sure noble people wouldn’t even bother to think about her.

People may say that incest cannot exist in any Islamic country, but very strangely, we all personally know victims of sexual abuse. Moreover, cases of harassment are also very common in universities, but no action has ever been taken against such teachers.

2 days ago, Veena Malik was insulted & humiliated on national TV. Had she been from an influential family, this wouldn’t have happened? People have this set, rotten view regarding actresses. I don’t even want to talk about that, but it only reflects how ugly & obscene people are. They don’t allow anyone to breathe in fresh air. They can’t see anyone happy or having fun.

When we talk about those who commit suicide, there are always people who of course have this holier-than-thou attitude about themselves & that allows them to weigh the faith of victims in their screwed up balance. Religion has only become a source of discrimination. I remember few days ago, this fanatic in a particular area killed some Ahmedi & said that he would kill all the Ahmedis in that vicinity.

What can one say about fanatics? They won’t ever protect the weak, but they would support any terrorist just because he/she is a Muslim. Countless women & men are in jail, thanks to infamous laws, but we are not even supposed to talk about that, cause it’s nothing short of blasphemy.

I haven’t seen clerics taking any action against those people who killed Muneeb & Mugheez. In fact, people to this day question their innocent. They were tortured to death & people made videos. It happened in the month of Ramazan.

A sex worker was recently raped but everyone was more concerned about her profession & character. So what if someone is a slut? Does it allow people to rape her & then get away with it?

I do not think only women are suffering. Even men, kids, teenagers, old people, eunuchs, prostitutes – they all have problems & the main reason behind every headache happens to be people who think they are more noble than the word noble. I know nothing has been done & nothing will ever be done. Only mad people will go on crucifying the innocent. This has always happened & this will continue to happen.

Former Israeli President Found Guilty of Rape

Katsav, who could now face years in prison, had denied charges he twice raped an aide when he was a cabinet minister in the late 1990s, and molested or sexually harassed two other women who worked for him during his 2000-2007 term as president.

But a three-judge panel said his testimony had been "riddled with lies."

"When a woman says no, she means no," the panel said in its ruling.

Katsav was also convicted of obstructing justice, for trying to confer with one complainant about her testimony to police.

The ashen-faced 65-year-old had no comment for reporters as he was spirited out of Tel Aviv District Court by a scrum of relatives, attorneys and bodyguards.

One of his lawyers, Avigdor Feldman, criticized the unanimous verdict for ignoring "all of the doubts" about the women's accounts and said Katsav planned to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

State Attorney Moshe Lador praised Israel's legal system, saying that few countries would have prosecuted their head of state for such crimes. "Positions of power cannot grant immunity to criminals, however senior they may be," he said.

"This is a sad day for the state of Israel and its residents," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement after the verdict.

"Today the court conveyed two clear-cut messages, that all are equal before the law and that every woman has exclusive rights to her body," Netanyahu said.

Rape carries a minimum prison term of four years and a maximum of 16 years in Israel. Moshe Negbi, legal analyst for Israel Radio, told Reuters any sentences handed down to Katsav for the lesser charges would probably be served concurrently.

DHA rape case

There is never any fucking justification for rape or gang-rape, but we always have people who can’t help judging the characters of victims. Now the recent DHA rape case is also one such example. It doesn’t matter what a female does or how she dresses up. No one has the right to rape her.

In this case, everyone has already labeled the victim. She’s portrayed as a woman of loose character. Although justice is never granted, but at least these women have taken this step & one step at a time could make a difference in the long run. No one ever comes forward in either rape or harassment cases. That’s why culprits get away so easily. Right now people are more concerned that they were partying late at night & they were drunk & all that crap. And so what if they are sex workers, it doesn’t give men the right to rape sluts.

The media only loves to highlight everything. They even gave out the name of one of suspects on TV & it’s very difficult to locate accomplices, cause they all ran away, & Karachi is not a small city.

The policemen have been questioning the servant & during the investigation they have discovered that it’s not just one rape case. In fact rapes have been taking place at that particular flat. And I’m aghast that people are just focusing on the character & profession of the victim. If these men are raping prostitute, they must have raped other women as well. And rape is a serious felony.

HOSTEL reveals hard-hitting truths about ragging

India is badly affected by ragging, a form of abuse on newcomers to educational institutions and has reportedly caused at least 30 deaths in the last 7 years. This year alone 10 students have lost their lives due to the brutal practice of Ragging. HOSTEL is the only movie that addresses the issue of ragging.

HOSTEL is written & directed by Manish Gupta (writer of SARKAR) and is a story inspired by true life events of various boys' hostels. HOSTEL is a film about a student played by Vatsal Seth who enters a notorious hostel and is ragged by his seniors. It's not just about one incident but a string of incidents and is a hard-hitting reality-action film. It shows how students are tortured and harassed in the name of ragging.

"There are many suicides that occur in Indian hostels due to ragging wherein students are beaten up, stripped, paraded naked, starved, tortured, molested and even raped by their seniors. Since victims of ragging find it humiliating to report sexual abuse to their parents or others, most ragging-related crimes go unreported. HOSTEL deals with the serious issue of ragging and through this film I want to show the world what actually a victim of ragging goes through," says writer & director Manish Gupta.

HOSTEL also embarks Tulip Joshi in a fresh and innovative avatar & role, playing the lead in the movie along with Vatsal Seth. Mukesh Tiwari plays the antagonist in the movie.

'Ragging' is a sadistic practice that has become a ritual in most of the Indian hostels. Sadly, the students who are a victim of ragging - in turn vent their frustrations by ragging their juniors in the following years. Thus, this cruel practice continues year after year and has claimed (and is still claiming) the lives and careers of innumerable students. The film HOSTEL is a shocking eye-opener about this evil practice and is a wake-up call for all of us.

Man gets 15-year sentence for incest

Although people in our part of the world prefer to stay in a state of denial but such stories do come up on the surface sometimes. Sher Zaman sexually assaulted his daughter when she was 16 year old (in 2002) & not just that he even threatened her of die consequences if anyone gets to know about that incident. Later on the girl got pregnant & gave birth to a child who was also killed by Sher Zaman & thrown into the gutter of the house.

Sher Zaman was found guilty of rape but he had been acquitted of murder due to lack of evidence. His wife Shahida is the one who filed the case against him…at least this woman had the courage to stand up against her husband. We have all kinds of fathers & mothers in the world, so I won’t say what kind of father is Sher Zaman!

Incest is a taboo subject & yet it happens every where. While I was doing my research on it, I came across some very disturbing stories & in some cases, people really don’t have a problem with it at all. They don’t mind having a relationship with a brother or father.

In one of the cases, a girl had been sexually abused by her father for years & naturally when she got pregnant, she wanted to have the baby, but both the parents forced her to have an abortion. I read a note by that girl on the net & it makes you wonder how can parents be so cruel & that was the 1^st time someone actually convinced me that abortion is not the only answer. Someone could have adopted that baby. There are many childless people. Well I still think that abortion ought to be legalized though but if you’re willing to have that baby, then it’s a different story.

It’s indeed a very depressing topic. A Malaysian friend of mine also did an extensive research on it. You’re not shocked out of your wits, you start questioning the moral values of people. How can you stay mum when someone is raped in your house? Isn’t that a sin? Aren’t we supposed to take a stand & protect the one who is weak?

Infants are being killed almost on a daily basis. No one bothers to protest or even care about those babies. All of it points out that we are indeed a very degraded race.

Real life incidents are a lot different than what we read in fiction. When we are not involved, of course it’s a lot easier to reach a conclusion or to comprehend a thing no one wants us to understand or even think about. But I would say that it was thousand times easier for me also to form an opinion about Lolita than what I have read about real people & real incidents.

What’s the worst that could happen?

What’s the worst that could happen to a person? The answer may vary from individual to individual. I wrote ‘Life in a nutshell’ as a friend is going through a terrible phase. She has been a victim of date rape. I wanted to write on date rape when I wrote on incest but I didn’t as those who read me know that some people started painting me as non-Muslim & that I’m making up stories. If I have to create stories, I’d go for something sexy. But this is reality; this is life. We have victims who haven’t recovered as yet.

I happen to know people who have been sexually abused in their childhood. I also believe that people don’t make hideous stories about themselves. I can’t even imagine what the trauma is for rape victims. And I know that people who start shouting when they hear something are those who want to stay in a state of denial. They can do that…we don’t actually care.

This is what I have gathered from here & there:

"Its victims are much more likely to know (and trust) the perpetrator involved. Victims are often 15 to 25 years old because those are the common dating years.
The effects are long term and can leave a victim's life ripped apart.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a common problem for rape survivors.

The crime effects not only the primary victim, but spreads to include significant others, friends and can even impact distant family members. The devastation for the victim can be far reaching and the conviction rate is poor because only 5% of date rapes are ever reported.

There are many situations where perpetrators don't feel their behavior has
broken the law, but according to the victim, the story is different.
Going out on a date is not automatic consent to have sex. It doesn't matter how much money was spent or what kinds of gifts were bought. Sex is not something owed in return for going on a date.

Date rapes are devastating. Not only is a date rape a violation in itself but the victim has been harmed by someone she previously trusted. It's a betrayal that makes victims have to learn to trust people all over again. This is not an easily accomplished feat.

Most people think of rapes as being done by someone jumping out from behind a bush and overpowering a victim. That is not usually the case. Approximately 42% of the rapes that happen are date rapes where the perpetrator is known to the victim.
Approximately 90% of rape victims, who knew their attacker, do not report the attack to authorities because of fear of guilt/responsibility, self blame, embarrassment, helplessness, denial, and a number of other emotional factors.

According to Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), 11% of rapes involve the use of a weapon, while 84% use force alone. Other common characteristics of a date rapist include male dominance, hostile attitudes toward women, use of force in sexual relationships, and excessive use of drugs and alcohol. The amount of prior sexual experience also plays a role in the actions of a date rapist. Date rape is also called acquaintance rape because 70% or more of victims know their attackers."


It’s obvious that the victim doesn’t recover. It’s like you love someone & that person takes undue advantage of you. We don’t live in Utopia; we live in a world where daughters, sisters, grand-children, nephews, nieces are being raped. It seems we live in a world where we shouldn’t trust anyone. And as I mentioned earlier on…there are always people who have issues with this…it cannot happen…How do they know? Are they everywhere? Or do they have some superhuman powers? These are the very people who make it difficult for victims to ever recover. On top of it, there are people who have problem with the word slut. They find it highly derogatory & discriminatory on the part of anyone who uses it. Where the fuck are they when children are being raped in their houses?

By writing this, I know I can’t make things better…the wound cannot heal & even if it does, the scar would haunt. I often wonder why bad things happen & good things don’t. And when I think of rape, man I’m like…that’s the worst thing that could happen to a person & how do these people manage to cope with it all. The idea even gives me headaches.

When I was badly plunged into the abyss of depression some 8 or 9 years ago, someone from my immediate family said to me that my mother was thinking of sending me to a mental asylum & there I would be raped & then the person started laughing. Even if I go mad, I know that my mom wouldn’t send me to any such place; she would take care of me till the end. Although my father is dead but I will say the same thing about him. Negative words can only have negative effects…jealousy can take people to any level. In all these years, I haven’t been able to forgive that person for making that statement. I was like…even if I get raped, would that make you beautiful? You stay ugly forever as your brain is ugly. The whole world can get raped but that wouldn’t give satisfaction to such creatures.

Naturally what do you expect of victims who have been through so much? I’m writing all this as I believe I can fight for all those who couldn’t fight for themselves. I’m writing this as I don’t want my friend to do anything stupid to herself as she has already suffered enough. And I’m sorry that I didn’t write on it earlier on as I was pissed off by all those creeps who presume anything & everything but never the right thing.

This has been one difficult topic for me. After reading such things, people are ready to lynch the writer but this writer doesn’t take shit from anybody. And look at the irony, they spare the culprits but they are after those who write about these horrifying stories. It seems they haven’t even been to school where we were taught in Islamyiat that when something’s wrong being done, we must stop it by force; if you can’t do that, then we must raise our voice & if we are not even capable enough of doing this, we should regard it as wrong.

This is the case in which innocent people have been wronged by those whom they trusted. If you can’t be sympathetic, it’s okay but at least don’t be an asshole.

Frenzy of the cultured

Few years ago, one learned professor, the vice-chancellor & the registrar in the Punjab University had serious issues with the word ‘rape’ used in the title of the epic poem ‘The Rape of the Lock.’ They said it was an indecent word & this book shouldn’t be a part of the curriculum. These cultured fellas regarded the word ‘rape’ as having an indecent connotation. But we all know that over-enthusiastic people never embark upon the venture of cleansing the society from the real act; so they find faults with words & call them dirty, indecent & judgmental.

Anyway, ‘The Rape of the Lock’ is one of the finest mock epic poems that relates a trivial incident & describes the theft of the heroine’s hair. It makes a good commentary on the upper-class English society of that time, which was infested with numerous follies & vices. Hence the word ‘rape’ in the title is the most appropriate one, because it depicts the emptiness of life & Alexander Pope ridicules it by choosing this particular word.

Literature offers new & creative ways to interpret the world. Different writers look at events or happenings from totally different angles, which enable them to assign different meanings to what they see or experience; as a result, they produce different descriptions of them. Those who think that Literature is just about playing with words & talking about sex need to hold their sacred views to themselves. When we need their opinions, we’ll ask for them.

Anyway, it’s just not the word ‘rape.’ People have problems with innumerable words. Lechery, desperate, sex slaves, human trafficking, incest, fuck, bastard etc etc are some of the words that can drive people nuts. I have witnessed that madness, but I don’t feel sorry for such people. Those who regard particular words as dirty, judgmental, indecent, inappropriate are most welcome not to use these words, but what’s the point of imposing their rotten views on others? We all have the right to learn things on our own. We don’t need this kind of madness; it is not just madness but it is also corrupt on the part of anyone who forces others to do what they want to do. You don’t want to use a word. Don’t use it. Why do you want others not to use it or to use it?

In fact such acts remind me of one of the slogans of the party in 1984 that says: “Ignorance is strength.” Maybe these people are inspired by the Big Brother & his lousy principles. Maybe even here the main aim is to narrow down the range of thought. When words won’t be there, people won’t be able to think.

“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words…After all, what justification is there for a word which is simply the opposite of some other word? A word contains its opposite in itself.”

George Orwell

“In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined & all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out & forgotten.”

George Orwell

You know nothing is too coarse for my chaste pen. I often use the word fuck & it is considered unethical by many but quite frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck to it. Come to think of it, if we don’t use the word lechery, lecherous people will not be wiped out from the planet & neither would lechery. People may stop using terms such as human trafficking, but sex slaves will not disappear in thin air. Yes you can close your eyes but you can’t change the reality. By putting emphases on words like bastard or harami, you’re not contributing anything. The plight of illegitimate children wouldn’t reduce by even an inch.

I had the misfortune to work with this dysfunctional lady & she used to say that we must always use Mister & Miss when we talk to people. We shouldn’t use he/she or him/her as that is disrespectful. There are too many mad people out there & we don’t have time to know how fucked up are they anyway.

We need words to think. We need words to express ourselves. Shakespeare once said, ‘Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’

Since I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, I don’t know what’s wrong with people who have problem with words. Either they have experienced something so bad that they can’t help being what they are. They don’t even want people to use such words that remind them of such incidents. It is some sort of disorder. I don’t think it’s a normal behaviour to impose such views on others.

If freedom is our birthright, then we can use any word we like whether the world approves of it or not. Of course there are man-made chains every where…this is a fact we can’t run away from. But to put boundaries on your thinking is I guess the worst crime a human can do to himself.

What is the meaning of this silence?

“I find mankind so odious that I should hate to have it approve of me.”
- Moliere

“We are willing to believe anything other than the truth.”
- Carlos

Nothing actually puts me in a state of shock, but right now when I’m doing my research on the cases of incest…I’m aghast at humans who keep mum about this issue. I don’t expect much of humans, cause I know they are cowards. However, I also want to know why is God silent?

In my last write up, one of my readers raised this point on the kids of Adam & Eve. We all know that Adam & Eve were not siblings. Fine. Nevertheless, their kids were & we may not like to say it, but procreation did take place. So what do we call that? A friend of mine said that religion came much later & ever since incest has been forbidden. Congratulations! We have solved the case for you.

“The only universal trait that Contemporary social scientists and historians agree has been found in every known culture is the prohibition of incest.”

You don’t fuck around with the infinite, because you can’t. However, fucking humans & kids is something that can be done. What I mean is fucking them forcefully. That is, when you have power over the other person. I think family is a place where one should feel protected, but if kids are being abused by their loved ones…it’s a little too much to take. Scars of such wounds can never heal. Scars of even little wounds don’t heal & I guess all of us know that. So, what about the victims of this heinous & ugly crime?

I read something that I would very much like to share.

“Boys as well as girls are reported as being masturbated and raped by the men in the family, including fathers, older brothers, uncles and cousins. By the time children are four or five, they are usually taken to bed at night by others in the extended household. "A particular uncle may like her to sleep in his room, which is considered a great gesture of closeness." As one girl describes it: "I hardly ever slept with my parents after I was four. I rotated almost every night between my various uncles and sometimes my grandmother. But it was difficult to have any space in her bed, because all the grandsons slept in her bed.. So I preferred to sleep in [uncle's] bed, who was very nice and put his arms around me in winter."

I seriously had the urge to puke. I mean what the hell is this? Who puts up with this obnoxious behaviour? But the fact is…people do & that is saddening, to say the least. And don’t ask me in which country, this thing has happened. It happens everywhere. It’s another thing that people want to stay in a state of denial. It suits them so much.

It’s another case of a female who has been raped 1st by her elder brother & then by her father…not once, but for many years.

“A case is reported of a female victim of paternal incest, who had also been raped repeatedly by her elder brother for two years. A survey of the literature showed no other report of such a case from Turkey. This does not necessarily mean that the incidence of paternal and sibling incest does not happen, but may indicate that incestuous abuse is not reported or handled without making it known to legal authorities.

The victim was first raped by her 16 year-old brother when she was 9 years old. He raped her repeatedly over a period of two years, until he left home. Her father began raping the victim when she was 13 year-old, leaving her pregnant at age 15. He took her to a doctor for a termination of pregnancy. The father continued abuse after the termination. The victim left home to marry a man. The father filed a lawsuit against the man for taking the victim away from home.”

1st they commit a sin & a blatant violence against any human & then they have the audacity to file suit against the victim. You must have heard about the Cellar incest case. An Austrian woman was kept prisoner & abused by her own father for 24 years in a basement.
“Her 73-year-old father, Josef confessed that he held his now 42-year-old daughter captive for 24 years in a concealed, windowless basement hideout, where he repeatedly had sexual intercourse with her and where she gave birth to seven of his children.”
There are many families who might not be aware that someone is being sexually abused & there are also families who are aware of it, & yet they are embarrassed to seek help, so they stay silent. Fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers could be the one abusing the child, but mothers also play a vital role by hiding this under the carpet.

“Incest has become the norm in certain homes. Siblings, who are in mutual agreement, are indulging in sexual activities."

This case is also one of its kind:

“The father of the well-respected family was a priest at the local church. He had two sons and two daughters. The father refused to send his daughters to school, instead insisting on educating them at his office attached to the church. The two older sons were allowed to go to school, but their father instructed them to have sexual intercourse with the daughter every afternoon. If they did not do so, he beat them and called them sissies. The father also sexually abused his youngest daughter in the park every day. The mother did not accept that her husband was capable of such behaviour. Charges were laid, but were withdrawn by the mother. The children were removed from the parents into foster care.”

Another question that pops up is whether abortion justifiable in cases of rape or incest. I don’t know the answer myself. Some say it is & some say that those children could be the answer for all those childless parents. But I read about this case of a girl who was repeated raped by her father whenever he wanted or lusted. What a bastard for a father! Anyway, it all started when she was 15 year old. By the time, when she was 19, she got pregnant. At the hospital, her father called her all sorts of names for getting pregnant. This girl didn’t want to have an abortion, but she was forced to have one. This is what she said:

“I was told that an abortion would solve my problem, when it was never really the problem in the first place.
I was told, "Your parents know what's best," when they obviously were only concerned about their own reputations.
I was told, "You make the right decision," when I was never given a choice. More importantly, where was my baby's choice?
I was violated and betrayed over and over by my father, who God created to love and protect me. I was humiliated, hurt, and yes, violated again by the abortionist.”
Naturally, I don’t see any solution to this problem. Even if we form better laws, would people come & seek help? I don’t think so. People are more concerned about their reputation. We’ve heard this crap for centuries: ‘Larki ghar ki izzat hai.’ But the fact is nobody has time to respect that girl.

Many a time, I’ve read that most abusers are the ones who have been molested in their childhood. I don’t see the justification. Just because you have been abused doesn’t give you the right to abuse others. But we all know that innocence is being murdered on a daily basis.

Jodi Picoult very aptly said:
“Silence is just a quieter way to lie.”

I don’t know how incestuous is incest. But I don’t need to see it written in my Holy Book or on the statute book to know a thing is wrong. Rape is wrong no matter from what fucking angle you look at it. A thing that destroys life cannot be great. A thing that leaves scars for eternity cannot be tolerated. And yes where is God when this happens to anyone, be it a kid or an adult? Why is He silent? Humans can stay silent. They are despicable, to the core. That’s the best they can do.
Anyhow, we were just discussing incest. It’s a common thing that children are also being molested by servants, which include both men & women. Servants have also been involved in sexual harassment of adults. Even then people maintain silence. I’ve read that 9 month old girl was repeatedly rape. Girls & boys of 5 & 6 years of age are being raped & killed. Women in our country have been gang-raped & that was the decision of some fucking panchayat (parallel justice system).

It seems humans are fond of silence when others around them are being sexually & emotionally abused. Abuse of any kind has a bad effect on the person. Many a time, you abuse a person with your words. That is called psychological abuse. So in a way, all those who are using evil & degenerated words to hurt others also rape. And all those who put up with any kind of abuse…I just want to say one thing to you…I don’t know if you can grasp it or not. And it may seem ruthless, cause I don’t exactly know the pain of victims. I’m mad, cause I know people who have suffered & they haven’t recovered as yet. Anyway, your silence is your crime. Whatever you choose today make sure you don’t have to regret it tomorrow. I hope God comes to the aid of all those who are waiting for Him.

Nadira Rahman