Friday, February 04, 2011

Is It Cruel and Unusual Punishment? Blog 3

Alycia Clark

Soc 202-01

2-4-11 12:12 AM

From human rights perspective, what could or should be considered acceptable forms of punishment is a very prevalent question. Looking through the eyes of our own Western culture and society there are some forms of punishment that are still being implemented today, that seem extremely barbaric and brash. But based on the traditions and culture (and many times religion) of that certain society, these forms of punishment are generally acceptable. It is only when there are certain circumstances, mainly death or numerous accounts, that these cases are brought to global light, and speculated worldwide.

One such case occurred recently in Bangladesh. Hena Begum was a 14 year old girl, who died from injuries sustained from a public lashing, given under Islamic Sharia Law. She had received the “fatwa” or punishment of 80 lashings, from a decision made by a village court that included Muslim religious leaders. This was all because Hena Begum was accused of having an affair with her cousin, who was a married man. Four men, including a Muslim Cleric, have been apprehended because of her death. The sad truth is that for much of the Muslim world the practice of fatwa is common, as it is laid out by Islamic law. For much of the western world, and even a few activist in the Muslim world, this practice is seen as unjust, and one that should be abolished. But this becomes difficult when the issue of undermining a societies sovereignty and culture comes into play.

This raises the alarms of many who are concerned with International Human Rights. Is the public lashing of women a form of cruel and unusual punishment? In my eyes, especially as a woman of the western world, I believe it is. Any physical infliction, especially if paired with public humiliation, should be considered so. In a perfect world this would be an ideal universal law, but interfering with a countries sovereignty and culture plays a big part. For the same reason that female ceremonial circumcision and “underage” arranged marriages continue today, there is sadly not much the world can do to change this. Unless there are egregious circumstances, it seems as though all the world can do is sit back, watch and express our verbal disgust.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12344959

3 comments:

Kathryn Summers said...

The idea of many practices of other countries leaves me outraged. I understand that physical punishment is more common in other countries, and I don't completely disagree with it. I do however disagree with punishment based on claims rather than evidence. I also disagree with punishment resulting in death. I agree with you that there really isn't much we can do but voice our opinions, but that alone makes me even more frustrated.

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Chelsea_Shambley said...

Is the public lashing of women a form of cruel and unusual punishment?
This shouldn't even be a question. This is the twenty-first century. After reading your post, I have never been more blessed to live in America. It's not like she raped or murdered someone, she had an affair with her married cousin. I'm not saying what she did is right... but to get eighty lashes for doing so- eighty lashes so intense they resulted in death? I'd say that was definitely a form of cruel and unusual punishment.