Burundi – Des questions ouvertes…

The following article is a guest blog by Luca Catalano

Il est 14h02, le Mercredi 13 mai à Bujumbura. A travers son site web RFI lance le message: “communiqué du général Godefroid Niyombaré diffusé par la radio privée burundaise Isanganiro: Les forces vives de la nation décident de prendre en main la destinée de la nation pour pallier à ce climat d’inconstitutionnalité dans lequel le Burundi est plongé. Les forces vives de la nation refusent avec vigueur et ténacité le troisième mandat du Président Nkurunziza conformément à la constitution et l’accord d’Arusha. Le président Nkurunziza Pierre est destitué de ses fonctions, le gouvernement dissout.”

Jeudi le 14 mai, à moins de 2 jours de l’annonce du général à la tête des forces putschistes, Godefroid Niyombaré, RFI lance le message: “le numéro deux du mouvement putschiste, le général Cyrille Ndayirukiye, a reconnu l’échec du coup d’Etat.” Exactement 37 heures entre les…

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Dr. Denis Mukwege

I want to tell you a story about Dr. Denis Mukwege; a man I consider to be incredibly inspiring and courageous.

When war broke out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Dr. Mukwege had 35 patients killed in his hospital in Lemera. He fled to Bukavu where he opened a hospital with what he had available (made from tents) and eventually built a maternity ward with an operating theatre. In 1998 this was also destroyed, so he started again in 1999.

In 1999, he had a patient come into his hospital who had been a victim of extremely brutal sexual violence – bent on destruction – and he treated her, assuming this was an anomaly. Within three months, 45 more women came to seek his services each with an equally brutal story. He saw a pattern and realized this was not just sexual violence, but that rape was being used to destroy communities.

Dr. Mukwege instigated several stages of care beginning with a psychological examination to determine whether the women have the resiliency to undergo surgery and recovery. The next stage involves whatever medical care is necessary; this is dependent on the type of violence and can range from basic medical care to reconstructive surgery. He then connects patients with socio-economic care as many patients arrive with nothing (not even clothing). Patients require the ability to be able to care for themselves after they leave the hospital, so they undergo skills and jobs training while in recovery, they can access education, and they build strong support systems with those who protect their dignity. Lastly, patients are connected with legal services as in most cases they are aware of who their assailants were but might not be aware of their legal rights.

Dr. Mukwege’s work is integral to the safety, dignity, and well-being of women within the DRC, yet as sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war Dr. Mukwege became a target because he was helping women live. Because he fought for these women’s rights to live, because he provides them with the tools to live with dignity he was targeted. Dr. Mukwege and his family were targeted and very nearly killed. Following the attack he brought his family to Brussels, however he could not leave his work. He came back to the DRC. In his words,

I was inspired to return by the determination of Congolese women to fight these atrocities. These women have taken the courage to protest about my attack to the authorities. They even grouped together to pay for my ticket home – these are women who do not have anything, they live on less than a dollar a day.

These women formed groups of 20 and stand guard at the hospital day and night to ensure that those seeking and providing care are safe. To date, he has treated over 30,000 women for injuries related to extreme sexual violence and currently sees roughly 10 patients per day.

This week he was recognized for his extraordinary work with the Sakharov prize – Europe’s top human rights prize. It’s this man’s extraordinary work, it’s the dedication and resilience of the women who stand by him and seek his services that inspire me to pursue the research I’m interested in. It’s people like this and the people that he sees every single day that remind me of the importance of this.

Learn more and look up his incredible work at the Panzi Hospital (most of it’s in French so you can also message me and I’ll explain it in English).

Abstract: Women’s Experiences of Urban Food Insecurity

In keeping with my earlier commitment to maintain this space better, I wanted to share an abstract from a paper I wrote in 2011. It was my first time approaching a topic using gender analysis and was the first time I realized how different the ways  we approach development could be as a result.

Abstract:

 ‘Women are both vulnerable and powerful – victimized and empowered – through food.’ –Van Esterik

Globally, urban regions are experiencing unprecedented levels of growth, which has caused urban food security to move to the forefront of international agendas, however a gendered analysis is often lacking. This paper will examine the ways in which women are affected by urban food insecurity and the ways in which they respond to the crisis. Through analysis of secondary sources and of the unique experiences of women in a community in Harare, Zimbabwe, this paper will demonstrate that women are affected by urban food insecurity much more severely than men. However, women are also in a better position to change their situation and the situation of their community into one that is more food secure.

Sharing some old stuff I wrote

Hey guys,

It’s been a while since I posted anything on here, however I intend to get back into the trend of using this space to explore some more academic pursuits and using it as a space to ‘free write’ when ideas come to me – to remain in the practice of writing academically.

However, until that happens, I thought I would share part of a paper I wrote a while ago. So read on if you’re interested, I’d love to hear your thoughts and if this is a topic you are interested in, I would be happy to share the full document.

Creating the Body: Social Media and Sexual Violence

This paper will explore the intersections of the body as a sexed and gendered space through the lens of social and cultural construction and will view the concepts of sex and gender as inherently performative. Using the context of sexual violence and narratives surrounding sexual violence within North America this paper will explore if and how sexual violence (re)produces understandings of the body or (re)constitutes the body. Through this process, the paper hopes to explore whether narratives of sexual violence and victimhood can be understood through discourses of performativity and the body. Simone de Beauvoir’s statement that ’one is not born, but rather, becomes a woman’ is incredibly salient for the purposes of this paper as it is through performativity that one embodies the sexed or gendered body (De Beauvoir, 2011 [1949]). Through the process of ’becoming‘ woman, the body is marked as deviant from the male body and within the process of ‘becoming’ it is important to question the role of social media in producing normative bodies and of sexual violence in marking some bodies (Butler, 1990; De Beauvoir, 2011 [1949]).

In a sense, this paper operates on the assumption that the body does exist as a social space through which individuals can embody sex and gender, but also as a space through which performativity is read by an external audience through the lens of culture and society (Butler, 1990; De Beauvoir, 2011 [1949]). By examining the body through these processes, I hope to understand the impacts that sexual violence has both as creating an imprint on the body but also in how performativity is read (Foucault, 1977 [1975]; Foucault, 1978 [1976]). Within recent media attention and within sexual violence research, we have seen a trend away from (re)victimizing those who have experienced sexual violence; this, alongside the extremely low instances of reposing sexual violence demonstrates there is something salient about how people are perceived if they are open about experiences of sexual violence (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2008). I argue that the importance of these perceptions can be understood through an analysis of the body and of performativity in the context of sexual violence and social media.

To do so, this paper will follow some common experiences that occur prior to, during, and following  instances of sexual violence — particularly as represented through social media — using three  recent cases from North America;  herein referred to as the Ohio case, the Missouri case, and the Nova Scotia case — these cases will also be referred to collectively where inferences can be made. . .

Reshuffle in the Congolese army – cui bono?

On September 18, DRC’s president Joseph Kabila – shortly before heading off to the 69th session of the UN general assembly – finally announced a major round of rotations with the Forces Armés de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC), the country’s national army. This reshuffle features a few remarkable changes, both in personnel and in hierarchy. While certain observers identify this reform as a move to tighten Kabila’s (or his entourage’s) grip on the country’s security forces, assessments should remain cautious for many consequences of the reshuffle remaining unclear at this point.

According to Jean-Jacques Wondo, a Brussels-based Congolese military analyst and ‘Forum des As’, a national newspaper from Kinshasa, the new army command structure may look like this (the link includes a more detailed list, while Wondo’s graph below shows the key parts). Wondo again, has already given very poignant analyses on how this will affect DRC’s security architecture…

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Computer Chip Birth Control?

A contraceptive computer chip that can be controlled by remote control has been developed in Massachusetts.

The chip is implanted under a woman’s skin, releasing a small dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone.

This will happen every day for 16 years, but can be stopped at any time by using a wireless remote control.

My initial reaction to this is “AMAZING” because I’m thinking of how convenient and easy it would be to be able to self-manage your birth control over the long-term in this way. Imagine not needing to go to the pharmacy once a month or every few months, imagine one tiny cost that provides 16 years of not needing to worry, imagine how great it would be to have lower doses of hormones (if that’s what you wanted).

Then, I thought about the potential implications. Imagine having this inserted into people without their knowledge or consent, imagine having this inserted into someone without giving them the means to stop the hormones at a time of place of their choosing, imagine the potential repercussions of how this can be used to further limit the choice women have of their own bodies, fertility, and reproduction. 

Think on it. I’d be curious to hear thoughts/arguments and debates.

F is for Fish Sauce, Flavour, Phan Thiết and Phú Quốc

Revisiting old posts and reviewing search terms

I took some time today to read through some of my old blog posts, I find that as I hit mental blocks in writing my thesis it can be helpful to read through what has inspired me in the past. I wanted to take a few moments to draw attention to some of the most common search terms that people use to find my blog. A common thing that comes across is the question “What does it mean to be a woman?” or “What does it mean to be a girl?” and while my posts where I developed my own answer to these questions (Part One and Part Two) seem to be quite popular, they are not necessarily comprehensive. In fact, they aren’t even comprehensive to how I feel about the topic now – they were responses to very specific experiences that occurred over a set of days and weeks – hardly representative of my entire life or viewpoint on my gender. 

I find that I look up answers to those big questions too frequently, I’m constantly seeking approval or answers that someone else has experienced or wondered or asked the same things that I have. Why do I seek validation from other people? Why am I looking for some proof that my experience is not unique? Why am I looking for proof that I am the same as someone else, instead of embracing what makes me different? I’m curious about goal to be normal or to blend in, what does this even mean and why do we want it? 

Personally, I’m done with it. I’m tired of telling people what I do, or what I’m passionate about and feeling like I can’t share too much of myself for fear of sounding too different. I want to be different, I want to be myself, and I want to be able to celebrate the things that make me unique without feeling the need to shine a little less bright. 

So cheers to those who ask the big questions, who refuse to conform to the people we’re told we need to be, and to those who keep shining bright regardless of the response you’re met with. 

Remembering

I’ve realized that I have a new tendency of being cautious. I’m not sure why this is, but I noticed that over the past two months (the first two months of graduate school) I have been very cautious. I have been observing the ways that people interact, trying to determine what is or is not normal or common practice. It’s a strange thing to do I guess, but it comes from a history of being a ‘people-watcher’. I like to watch and observe my surroundings to best decide how I should interact with those surroundings. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet, because I miss being a bit more reckless – throwing myself into any given situation putting 100% of my heart and soul into it.

I don’t do that anymore.

I will do it again though. I’m no longer half-committed to the graduate school experience, I don’t feel like I have to prove that I belong anymore. I do belong, or else I wouldn’t be here. Yes, I am young. Yes, this is new to me. But what better way to learn? Trying to fit in too much was making me extremely anxious to speak in seminars (or even to people outside of seminars) for fear of not saying the right thing, or having interpreted a reading or talk differently. I’m also not content with being a part of my surroundings or a part of the status quo (despite having done this for a bit) and I am going to stand out, I’m going to question things, and I’m not going to implicitly form myself to fit whatever frame or box is in place. I’m remembering who I am and what I like most about myself and getting back to that.

We will see what happens.

1200 Calories

Listen to the y…

Listen to the yell of Leopold’s ghost
Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host.

From Vachel Lindsay’s poem ‘The Congo’

Research struggles

There are a lot of aspects of research that I struggle with, mainly because of my research interests. I’m interested in sexual violence in Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC, I want to know if the horrific history and legacy of Belgian colonial rule have had an impact in domestic sexual relations and if so, how, and why, I want to know where development funding is going and what kind of impact it’s having, I want to know if development funding could be better directed (most always it can be, but how and under what kind of program), I want to know women and men’s experiences of sexual assault either through conflict or not. But I struggle with this because I’m not part of the culture. While my research isn’t aiming to tell anyone to change anything (apart from maybe development agendas) and is instead aiming to understand what is happening and why, I worry that this could be misconstrued, that I will be perceived as doing what so many people have done before and just contribute to the continued violence of colonialism. So I’m stuck in this bubble, struggling with myself on whether this kind of research would be a good contribution to knowledge, or whether it’s ideological and would be better done by someone else. 

“There are many maps of one place, and many histories of one time.”

-Julie Freriekse

Feminism Isn’t Working and I Give Up

“So, yeah. I know you’re tired of hearing about rape culture. But I’m tired of my friends getting raped.
I know you’re tired of hearing about abortion. I am too. So stop trying to tell me what to do with my uterus, and I promise you won’t hear another word from me about it.
I know men and women are different from each other. I’m just tired of that fact being used to excuse the inexcusable.
I know you’re tired of hearing about income inequality. But fuck you, pay us.”

by Admin Jen

I’m hanging it up.

Yeah, that’s right. I’m done with feminism. It’s not working. We’re getting nowhere. In fact it actually seems like we’re going backwards. Someone come confiscate my “Feminist as F*ck” t-shirt, buy me a beekeeper suit and leave me to my new, non-feminist existence which will entail popping out more children and possibly listening to a lot of Katy Perry, who is an avowed non-feminist. (The woman who dresses her tits up like cupcakes says she is not a feminist, are you surprised?).

Fighting double standards has become worse than passé. In that entire media whore-nado over Miley Cyrus and her VMA spectacle, the only person I saw pointing out that Robin Thicke is actually kind of questionable for grinding his bits on a girl who could be his daughter… was another dude. Even we in our own circular firing squad of feminism didn’t…

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In the swing of things

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but I wanted to get back in the swing of things.

Part of me views the past year almost as a break from the academic life because I was very much removed from it – living in Vietnam and working at SRD gave me the opportunity to take a step back and evaluate where I was and where I want to be and I found that I’m very happy with where I am and how things are going.  Vietnam has also taught me to learn how to go with the flow and take things as they come rather than try to control my surroundings which has proven quite useful.

Last week I made the big move to Toronto and started getting everything together for my Masters program and to work as a Teaching Assistant. So far I’ve found that the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo are quite different (at least in my experience), my undergraduate degree offered the benefit of really small classes and I found that I was part of an absolutely incredible group of classmates and friends. Arriving at UofT, I’ve found that a lot of the class sizes are larger, the interests of people within my program are quite varied as are everyone’s backgrounds, so its become interesting to get to know my classmates and to see where I fit in within the group.

I came into the MA program wanting to do a thesis project rather than a research paper, but following conversations with my advisor, it seems that the research paper option is more highly recommended as it provides more experience and exposure with different professors. So it looks like that is what I will be doing. I’m still in the middle of choosing courses as it’s really difficult to get into courses from other faculties so I still have some hoops to jump through.

I’ve also found that my knowledge in certain areas seems to be lacking, so I’m trying to put together a reading list of different books and articles related to my interests and to research methods in general that will help me better understand navigate through the assigned readings for class.

Anyway, in the next while you can expect me to continue to comment on current events and news that I find fascinating and relevant as well as for me to brainstorm on some of the information and readings that I come across as I continue my studies.

If you have any suggestions for readings please feel free to mention them in the comments section, I’d love to discuss them with you.

 

What it is like to be a Muslim woman, and why we know what freedom is (and you may not)

This is by far one of the most powerful pieces I’ve read in a long time.

Mos Def | Privilege, Pain and Politics

This is a great perspective. I think it’s important that people be given a voice, but that no one should ever fight to be heard over the voices of the people who are living the experience in question.

Tall. Black. One Sugar

Trigger Warning: The video is quite distressing and not for the faint hearted.

Early this morning I stumbled upon the following video by Yasiin Bey, the artist formerly, or more commonly know as, Mos Def.

It was a disturbing reenactment of what those held at Guantanamo allegedly have to go through. The suggestion being that the detainees at Gitmo who are on hunger strike are force fed in the manner demonstrated by Yasin made me feel very uncomfortable. Not only for the way it was portrayed but a certain discomfort I have with celebrities being the spokespersons for those who cannot otherwise speak. That same discomfort I see when I hear George Clooney being a mouthpiece for Sudan, Bono for any part of Subsaharan Africa and even Angelina Jolie speaking at the G8 summit with her concerns for refugees.

I hasten to add that I believe all the aforementioned celebrities…

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September

I’m the midst of applying for Teacher’s Assistant positions for next year, which I find really exciting. 

But how do you pick which ones you would be a good match for? I’ve had some great TAs throughout my undergraduate degree, and some not so great ones. I want to be a great TA – I want to connect with students and be approachable, I want to know enough about the subject to be able to give good advice. How do I pick a class and professor that will help me accomplish this? It’s pretty intimidating to write down this list of potential courses that I’d love to work with and hope to hear back from some of them. 

Any advice? On picking courses, choosing hours, and managing all of it?

Containing my frustration

Over the summers I work at a bank as part of their Aboriginal Summer Internship Program and in Canada most banks get quite busy at the end of the month for a number of reasons. The end of the month is when most rent payments are due, mortgages tend to close, government checks come in (including social assistance, disability, pension, etc.) and this week was busier than normal because Monday is a bank holiday. Being busy means that there are lines (which could be avoided by using online banking or ATMS), however the bank that I work at is also the only one in town that will cash government cheques for non-clients free of charge (if they have two pieces of ID), making lines a bit longer.

This past week I had one client who tested every ounce of my patience and who subsequently ruined a lot of my faith in humanity. In my time in University and out of Canada I guess that I was exposed to people who genuinely believe that all people are equal and within my program at university I was among people that I shared ideology with. However this one woman yesterday just infuriated me and reminded me of how far Canada still has to go before we can actually be considered an ‘accepting country’.

This woman, who is a complete stranger, acted as though she was speaking in confidence with me and mentioned that the bank would be busy that day because one particular group of people would be getting their paycheques (i.e. welfare). I tried to stop the shock from showing in my features as she walked away. I really didn’t know how to react and was too shocked to react quickly enough. But I felt as though that comment highlights a lot of the issues that we still face in Canada.

Firstly, we need to remove some of the stigma associated with being on social assistance. Social assistance exists for a reason and the vast majority of people do not abuse the system. The people that I see on social assistance use it and need it – sure, there may be exceptions but the exception is not the rule and is not right or fair to paint everyone with the same brush.

Secondly, it really does not matter what the background, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, etc. is of the person collecting social assistance, what matters is that they need the funds and are using the funds.

Thirdly, if you are racist do not act like you are in the right! If you want to say something demeaning about anyone DO NOT DO IT. Just stop thinking that racism is okay, don’t try to justify it. It does not matter what my background is (or what yours is), it doesn’t matter what I look like, it is not okay for anyone to be offensive and/or racist. I don’t care if its a joke. It’s not funny, it is not okay. It is rude, it is offensive and it is harmful.

I’m still angry about this, and probably will be for a while (or at least until that person comes back and I have a better response). How would you have reacted? Do you think that there is any hope of things improving in Canada anytime soon?

Friday Puzzler: Where Are All the Female Bloggers?

And what can be done to encourage increased female involvement?

Finding routine

I’ve been back in Timmins, Ontario for exactly six weeks now. I’ve visited family, enjoyed the great outdoors (including an unexpected snowstorm), spent many more hours than I’d hope on buses, and got back in the swing of a new job. I’ve graduated, said hello and goodbye to a great number of friends, begun an apartment hunt, and started to reflect on what the next year (or more) will bring.

The one thing about travelling that I think I had forgotten is how much it makes you appreciate home, makes you appreciate the familiar. And my familiar is different from that of many people. My familiar is hours on a highway surrounded by nothing but trees and the occasional lake or moose. There’s something beautiful and calming about forests, something I had forgotten or pushed from memory while living in the bustling craziness of Hanoi. I love the North, it’s beautiful, its refreshing – its home.

Despite all this, I’m still excited for another change – to experience Toronto, to begin writing and researching and to get back into the swing of academic life. I’m excited to be physically closer to a lot of my friends (as not many live in or return to the North anymore), and I’m excited to be challenged again.

My work has definitely kept me busy and as it’s a new position, it has also enabled me to learn a lot more about finances, credit, and access to funds. This summer has been like a waiting period – a time in between. I’m done a degree but not yet done being a student, I’m home, but not really home. I feel like I’m on the precipice of change when most of the people around me are finding some degree of permanence and I’m still surrounded by uncertainty. I guess that it would be uncomfortable to many people to have so much uncertainty in their lives, but I almost find it soothing. It’s soothing to know that my life is still changing, its soothing to know that things will continue to change as long as I like, and its soothing to know that challenge and adventure are still (and will continue to be) a major part of my life.

Over the next few weeks, I’m hoping to share some preliminary research and readings that I want to incorporate into my studies for next year as well as any preparatory work I do for the University of Toronto. I’m  looking to access as much information as possible about Belgium as a colonial power and Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC pre and during colonial time.  I’d also like to access any legitimate information regarding current laws and attitudes on domestic abuse.

I’m finding my routine and seeing where I fit in for the next few months – then the cycle will start all over again.

Back in Canada

I know this post may seem a bit late, but I wanted to take some time to reflect myself before I shared my thoughts and reflections with the worldwide web. From past experiences, coming back to Canada is always the hardest part about leaving because you struggle with who you are versus who you were, you struggle with your next steps, how to integrate what you’ve learned and how you’ve changed into your life, you struggle with falling back into how you used to be or how you want to be. It’s a major learning experience and it takes some time and reflection each time to decide how you want to decipher it.

This time, I felt as though there was more preparation and the university set up some debriefing sessions to help us determine how to answer those questions. In addition, we aren’t coming back into a former life, we’re coming back to the completion of our degrees and the beginning of something completely new – whether its work, more school, travel, or no plans – so there aren’t old patterns to fall back into.

Personally, there were some elements of placement that I really struggled with, however despite these struggles, I would never trade the experience for anything. I learned a lot about myself while in Hanoi, I developed a completely different sense of independence than I could have in Canada, I challenged myself, and I realized that there are no limitations to what I can do or accomplish.

My time in Hanoi gave me the self-confidence to stand out from the crowd, to be myself regardless of what is happening around me, to stick to my goals, and to shoot for the stars. Prior to living overseas, I never would have imagined that I would be good enough for grad school, that I could get a scholarship, or that I deserved to be noticed in that way. But it really pushed me to work outside of my comfort zone and to recognize my own strengths.

Placement also brought me a lot closer to some of my classmates; there are people that I spent time with in Hanoi that I will be close with for the rest of my life. I’ve made friends that understand me more than anyone I’ve known previously and who are unconditionally supportive. The heart and strength that I’ve seen in my classmates astounds me and I know that they will accomplish anything they set out to do. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to experience placement with such a wonderful and supportive group of people, and I feel even more fortunate to have such incredible people in my life.

Participating in an international experience is about more than school, it teaches you things that you can’t learn about in class or in books. There’s a value to travelling and living overseas that you can’t get from anything else. No other experience encourages you to test your boundaries, nothing else will ever ensure that you learn about yourself and the world in such a genuine manner, and there is nothing equal to it. Regardless of whether you are studying international development or anything else, go outside and learn about the world, go experience it. It will challenge you and it will expand your horizons more than anything else ever could.

WhatSheSaid – Brilliant Marketing.

Incredible campaign.

ADoseofPersonalWhim

I came across this image a year or so ago and it really impressed me with it’s relevance and it’s brilliant marketing. (Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, i’m sure you can appreciate this? )

Also on that note, using the terms “pro-life” and “pro-choice” surely has pre-implied connotations about negative and positive, such that “pro-life” sounds like the “positive” phrase and therefore giving that argument a bias? Just a general point on language in debate.

Over & out.

p.s. Still can’t find who originally said this/whose campaign included this so information would be much appreciated!

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How can civil society contribute to policy?

Check out a website article I just wrote for the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) to see one idea!

Our Breasts Are Deadlier Than Your Stones

I want to bring attention to a particular line from this: “Her act could bring about an epidemic. It could be contagious and give ideas to other women.” If a woman’s actions and ideas are so radical that they could give other women ideas and encourage new thinking, then there is a larger problem. If we are going to be so afraid of having women think and act independently then we need to have change.

There is nothing radical about a woman’s breasts when she’s in porn or performing for men, but yet men feel so threatened by breasts when they aren’t being sexualized.

Lysistrata's Daughter

Apparently.

Because while the threat of stoning is just that-a threat-breasts are on display throughout the world today in support of Amina Tyler, the nineteen year old Tunisian woman who posted pictures last month of her bare chest and the words “My body belongs to me, and is not the source of anyone’s honor” in Arabic. A second photo, declaring “Fuck your morals” in English, was also posted.

Almi Adel,  who heads the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, now known (ironically) as the Moderate Association for Awareness and Reform is quoted as saying: “The young lady should be punished according to sharia, with 80 to 100  lashes, but (because of) the severity of the act she has committed, she deserves to be stoned to death,” he said. “Her act could bring about an epidemic. It could be contagious and give ideas to other women. It is therefore necessary…

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