Compassion? FAIL!!!
I recounted the following episode from my life on another blog when discussing how certain aspects of Islamic extremism necessitated that the Jews living in Islamic countries take special precautions to protect their women, and how it resulted in a broken engagment:
That means as a Kohen, I am forbidden from marrying anyone with the halakhic status of a Zonah, and a rape victim unfortunately qualifies.
A girl I dated and was eventually engaged to, her father worked for a large oil corporation in Dubai. At one point she was abducted and raped.
Her family had to flee the country because when they reported it to the police charges were brought against her for “public immodesty” and some other absurdities that essentially amounted to -she was asking for it.
Unfortunately this didn’t come out until we were engaged, as you can imagine she didn’t like to talk about it too much. We were both B”T of some variety, so neither of us knew going in that such a thing could be a problem, and we were too dumb to lie about it when the issue naturally came up in talking to the Rav preparing for the marriage.
The Rav refused to perform the marriage… I was too sold on Yiddishkeit(still am to be honest) to leave it for her.
So long story short. Engagement ended because one religion taught that it is ok to rape women.
Yes I know it is an appalling story. What was more appalling to me is that the first comment I got on that story was this:
No used car salesman you are sold on a distorted version picked up from another religion called feminism.
I’m still shocked by that for anything more than a sputtering response.
Perhaps also out of compassion, we could find some way of stating the halacha without saying (at least to modern ears) that a rape victim is anything like a prostitute?
I think you misconstured what he meant, Mr or Ms P. Rav Michael is saying the Islamist are saying it is ok to rape her because she did not CONFORM in their minds,.ie she is a JEW {infadel}, women, and it is ok, because by being such, she is a prostitute. Please wake up and smell the manure under the roses that the Arab muslims have spread. It really is poison.
Rafi,
I think P is referring to the use of the halakhic term “zonah” which, at least in halakhic language does not mean prostitute. It may in modern(and even ancient colloquialism). However, a unmarried Jewish woman could sleep with every Jewish man on the planet, and get paid for every one, and not be considered halakhically a Zonah.
So while I can understand how the term may at first seem shocking or offensive to modern sensibilities, that is only because of slang usage. I see no reason to make way for slang usage.
I apologize to anyone who takes offense. It is obviously not my intention to give it.
we live in aworld were their is no human rights
What I don’t understand is exactly what sort of message (other than the shocking lack of rachmanus) the commenter was trying to convey here. I find the comment puzzling as much as I find it disturbing. (Perhaps I need to see it in context?)