A story of the real courage of a simple woman's fight.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

Beyond the blowhard politicians, strutting "leaders", and tinware adorned generals, all bellowing about "courage", bravery" and "sacrifice", I thought it would be refreshing to note someone with real courage who is actually putting her life at risk to defend the helpless.

Please read the whole article, and the connected articles, to see what real courage is.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4330335.stm

When Mukhtar Mai was gang raped in Pakistan in February 2002, she lost her so-called "honour" and, along with it, her chance to lead a normal life in her village. She comes over in most photographs as a fragile and frightened woman, but those who have met her speak of a strength and faith not visible on the surface.

Many expected Ms Mai, 33, to commit suicide, as is all too common after rape in Pakistan. But she refused and started what has become a three-year legal battle against her alleged rapists.

She also built her village's first two schools with her compensation money and now campaigns internationally for women's rights.

Ms Mai's first test of courage was to survive her initial suicidal feelings. She recounted that "a passion grew in me to fight back" when more than 200 villagers offered their moral support. This was a small minority of her community, but enough to convince her that there were some who wanted to change the status quo.


I won't leave Pakistan or my village - I will continue my work in the schools.

[bobbolink]

1. Yes, that's inspiring. The key is 200 supporters from her village.

That doesn't happen in the US, and that's where the strength comes from.

Something to ponder.

[Control-Z]

7. Thanks for pointing this out.

If only the women in America could count on the support of their communities... A woman is lucky to hold on to a few good friends when the going gets rough.

[bobbolink]

13. It takes SUPPORT to make it through trama.

Our Rugged Individualist beliefs actually make people weaker.

But, we don't seem to want to look at that.

It's so much easier to blame the RW for *everything*.

:cry:

[lostnfound]

12. True, but flip side is that 300 stood and jeered after the rape..

Unbelievable. The inhumanity of people.

On edit: That fact was in the DemocracyNow! interview.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/21/1335242&mode=thread&tid=25

[bobbolink]

14. And because of that, she would have killed herself without the 200

Think of that the next time you hear a story of someone going through trama.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Incredible courage. I am in awe of her.

[Suich]

3. Amazing story...

Thanks for posting it.

:hi:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. You're welcome.

[lostnfound]

5. From DN!: UN decided not to let her speak due to protest by Pakistan

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/23/1440254&mode=thread&tid=25

UN Cancels Talk By Pakistani Rights Activist Mukhtar Mai
In news from the United Nations -- the Pakistani human rights advocate Mukhtar Mai was denied a chance to speak at the UN on Friday after protests from the Pakistani government. According to the New York Times, she been scheduled to make an appearance at an event called "An Interview With Mukhtar Mai: The Bravest Woman on Earth." In 2002 a Pakistani village council ordered Mai to be gang-raped for the supposed misconduct of her brother. After surviving the rape, Mai successfully sued her rapists in court. She has since become a leading advocate for women's rights in Pakistan.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Obviously, the kind of courage she has is sorely lacking at the UN.

[lostnfound]

9. And sadly, no pressure from the world's "superpower" on Pakistan to

make them become more humane.

All the things that our government has done are horrible, but in the background noise, all that it hasn't done is just as sad.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Oh, well. "Practical" politics, you know.

Funny how "practical" politics never seems to help the helpless but acts in the reverse.

[lostnfound]

8. Hear an interview with her on DemocracyNow!

from last year
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/21/1335242&mode=thread&tid=25

In June 2002, a group of men gang-raped Mukhtar Mai near her home in Pakistan. The rape was ordered by her local tribal counsel as punishment for a crime allegedly committed by her 12-year-old brother. After her rape, Mukhtar Mai was forced to walk home nearly naked before a jeering crowd of three hundred onlookers.

According to The New York Times, on average, a woman is raped every two hours in Pakistan, and two women a day die in so-called honor killings. Most of the cases go unnoticed, but Mukhtar Mai defied tradition by fighting back against her attackers in the courts. She testified against them. A number of them were convicted and sent to prison. With the compensation money she received, she opened elementary schools in her village.

Last week, Mukhtar Mai was back in the headlines when the Pakistani government barred her from leaving the country in an attempt to block her from publicizing her case. Amnesty International had planned to bring her to the United States. On the eve of her trip, she was detained by Pakistani government officials and placed under house arrest. The government then apparently tried to intimidate her by ordering the release of the 12 men connected to her rape.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf admitted that he had ordered Mukhtar placed on the no fly list, telling reporters "I don't want to project a bad image of Pakistan." But her detention had the opposite effect, sparking international condemnation. The Pakistani government now says Mukhtar Mai is free to travel wherever she wants. But there is one small problem - they confiscated her passport. Once again, Mukhtar Mai is refusing to be silent and is speaking out to the local and international media about her case. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes, "President Musharraf may have ousted rivals and overthrown a civilian government, but he has now met his match - a peasant woman with a heart of gold and a will of steel."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Great find! It just adds to my admiration of her.