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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Books Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Preventing rape
By Mohamed Emara *
Rape is not adultery, because that implies consent. Nor is it the result of sexual repression, because rape exists in permissive societies, and is often extremely widespread. Rather, rape is one of the manifestations of violence in a society. The act is directed at the victim, the family, at society and against religious values. It entails going beyond the rules of society.
The death sentence is not only just punishment for rapists, but is the punishment demanded by Islamic values. I would appreciate it if a study was undertaken to find out which class or classes perpetrators of this violent crime are most likely to come from. Such a study would be invaluable in combating this phenomenon.
The media and a sound religious upbringing have a major role to play in overcoming this crime. The solution cannot be only the application of legal penalties. These will not suffice if they are not backed by education.
Prevention is better than the cure. For example, encouraging women to adopt conservative dress and stay away from deserted and unsafe areas is one way of protecting them from this crime.
The problem could also be solved by solving the problem of the housing shortage and encouraging early marriage to circumvent the problem. Here, too, the mass media have a very important role to play in upholding respectable behaviour, transmitting conservative values and providing a religious perspective on relations between the sexes -- all measures which, if taken, will do much to curb violent desires and rape.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is an Islamic thinker and writer.
