Three articles from the New York Times over the last two days are a patchwork quilt of the contemporary Islamic war against women.
Two of them present us with some hope for the future, although all three stories emerge from violent acts by religious fundamentalists:
Afghan Mullah Who Raped Girl in His Mosque Receives 20-Year Prison Sentence – NYTimes.com.
The girl was 10 years old.
Rights Groups Condemn Execution of Iranian Woman – NYTimes.com.
Reyhaneh Jabbari killed Dr. Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a physician and government official, because he tried to rape her. She claimed self-defense at her trial; she lost, and lost her life.
Assassination in Tunisia Draws Spouse Into Politics – NYTimes.com.
Mbarka Brahmi is campaigning for a seat in Tunisia’s parliament held by her late husband, Mohamed Brahmi, a left-winger, who was assassinated last year by what the Times describes as “an Islamist extremist group.” She is so much braver than I could imagine being.