Thursday, September 07, 2006

Religion: A Hero gives up her practice in order to save her life

In my eyes Seyran Ates is a hero. Not just a hero, she is an amazingly brave hero. For twenty years she has been fighting against the subjugation of Muslim women by fighting for their rights. She is a lawyer and has represented countless women who have escaped from the tyranny of male domination. She has fought against "honor killings" to prevent the death of Muslim women who are slaughtered for the crime of wanting to be an equal member of society. She has fought against forced marriage and has helped many women escape abuse at the hands of their husbands. In 2005 she was named Germany's Woman of the Year, deservedly so. Facing increased pressure from Muslim men - ok, let me rephrase that - after being shot once, recently attacked outside a courtroom, and after receiving death threats daily, she has decided her life and her daughter's life took priority. She has decided to stop practicing law. What a tragedy that twisted religious ideology that thinks women are second class and should be killed for the honor of their husbands has driven this hero out of her career and more importantly has prevented her from saving the lives of countless women in the future.

Seyran's Web Page (in German)
Telegraph Story
Deutsche Welle Story
Western Resistance Story

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is a fine example of why Islam is such a threat to our democracies and the rule of law.