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Abdelhak Senna / AFP - Getty Images
Fouzia Assouli, president of Morocco's Democratic League for Women's Rights, and 300 other protesters stage a sit-in Thursday outside the local court in Larache that had approved the marriage of Amina al-Filali, 16, who drank rat poison last week after being forced to marry the man who raped her.
Online outrage spread Thursday with calls for Morocco to change its laws for women after the suicide of Amina Filali, a 16-year-old girl who was forced to marry her rapist, who beat her.
The government says changes are in the works.
Among the comments, most in Arabic or French, posted to Facebook pages: “We are all Amina Filali” and “RIP Amina.”
“Amina must be the last,” said the translation of one commenter identified as Nouri Rupert.
“Repeal immediately paragraph 2 of Article 475,” said Aniko M.E. Boehler near Marrakesh.
"We are all Amina Filali" Facebook page
Article 475 of the Moroccan penal code allows for the "kidnapper" of a minor to marry his victim to escape prosecution, The Associated Press reported.
"The article 475 is an embarrassment to Morocco's international image of modernity and democracy," Fouzia Assouli, president of the Democratic League for Women's Rights, or LDDF, told the BBC.
"In Morocco, the law protects public morality but not the individual," Assouli said, adding that legislation outlawing all forms of violence against women, including rape within marriage, has been held up since 2006.
A sit-in is planned at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Parliament in Rabat, according to some posters, including SlutWalk Morocco on Facebook.
A Tweet says men and women will protest Saturday
"This is a painful incident ... This is an issue we can't afford to ignore," Communication Minister and government spokesman Mustafa el-Khalfi said, Reuters reported.
"She was raped twice -- once by the rapist and the second time by marrying him ... We plan harsher sentences against rapists and we will launch ... a debate about law 475 to reform it," he told reporters.
In conservative parts of Morocco, it is unacceptable for a woman to lose her virginity before marriage - and the dishonor is hers and her family's even if she is raped, the BBC reported.
Filali came from the small northern town of Larache, near Tangiers.
The legal age of marriage in Morocco is 18, but the law allows for special circumstances.
Filali's father, Lachen Filali, told the online newspaper goud.ma that when he reported his daughter’s rape, "the prosecutor advised my daughter to marry; he said: 'Go and make the marriage contract.’”
When Amina Filali later told her family her husband was beating her, local media said, her mother told her to be patient.
She took rat poison and died Saturday after six months of marriage.
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Just keep these evil people over there, we have enough woman haters here in the form of Republicans and the Tea Party.
luvenia48 "Just keep these evil people over there, we have enough woman haters here in the form of Republicans and the Tea Party."
And Obama, who just eliminated health care for poor women in Texas because the State wouldn't subsidize abortions through Planned Parenthood, even though there were hundreds of other providers who didn't perform abortions.
BS Roy: Texas legislature knew they were violating federal law; their actions caused the federal funds to be withdrawn. Obama had nothing to do with it, as you know.
Like the Nazis, the Republicans love the big lie; just keep repeating it and pretend it is real.
I was raised a Republican, was president of the young Republican club, used to have Ronald Reagan over to our house for dinner and drinks. The party has moved so far right that they have purged every sane member of the party, becoming the christian taliban in america. Even Reagan would have been purged for his moderate views, compared to Republicans today. My values have not changed, now I am an indepedant, waiting for sanity to return to the Republican party, or for a new party to arise to provide a real conversation in this country.
"Like the Nazis, the
RepublicansDemocrats love the big lie; just keep repeating it and pretend it is real."And the Truth Squad responds:
Yep, just keep track of Mr. Obama's speeches. Wait a minute, Mrs. Obama made the biggest "political error" of her life at a rally in New Hampshire last year where she stated Mr. Obama's mother was discriminated against at that Hawaiian Bank, when in fact, Mr. Obama's mother was the FIRST WOMAN to be selected to a high ranking banking position.
Don't let the truth get in the way.
Typical Democratic ploy, say it over and over and over again until "someone" believes the falsehood.
Back to the article:
Sounds a bit like Sharia Law.....complete and total abuse of women. Wait another minute....some judges in the U.S. is ALLOWING Sharia Law to be considered in court cases.
Ido -- Your comment has nothing to do with the topic. As others pointed out, any of the Republican idiots currently considering themselves fit to run for president, would like to put women back 100 years, barefoot and pregnant with no decision-making power over her own body and denied much beneficial medical care like birth control, affordable breast exams/pap smears, etc. etc. If that came to pass, we as a nation will be little better than Morocco where women are totally subject to the whims (and cruelty) of men.
What about the Virginity of the male??
So what the law is really saying is :::: If they want a female of thier choice, RAPE them then you can OWN them!!!!
The village idiots need to die off in these cultures.
This is why no man should have a say over who a woman marries, or what she does with her body, much less any other kind of power over a woman! So disgusting, and right up there with men deciding what laws should be instituted regarding women's choices - it's just as bad.
First of all how and this "law" happens to "be"?How descent and civilized people admired all over the world did allow this kind of barbaric law to be written.It is shameful and gotta be erased now now now .Thank you and all the respect to the Moroccan people.Great People.
Actually this law is straight out of the bible.
the scary thing is that after 40 years of making great progress for women's rights within our country, the current political culture (i.e. republican politicians) seem bent on turning back the 40 years of progress. They probably won't be happy until we revert to the barbaric practices of some of these other ultra conservative countries.
Nice smear attempt.
So inner cities and the "bible belt" are not plagued by woman beaters?
Maybe it's the 1%'ers that are sending their 8 month pregnant wife back to the store to get more beer, then calling her an idiot for dropping it on the pregnant dog under the porch of their trailer.
Couldn't be a pimp in a city, they wouldn't do a thing like that !
It must be the man that works hard for their money as does his wife so they can have a few nice things once 1/2 of their money is taken away to give to a bunch of bums that have been collecting benefits for 4 generations.
allowing a rapist to marry his victim is rewarding the rapist and punishing, dishonoring and belittling to the victim. basically allowing the rapist unlimited access to rape at will with a victim that no longer has legal recourse or in some religions, no right to refuse her "husbands" abuse.
shameful, evil and hateful towards women everywhere. all men should be ashamed to allow this behavior towards women by governments or religions.
this "law" is no different than giving a pedophile legal custody of the victim(s) of his sexual abuse, no difference at all.
I have no doubt the Republican Party will put a law up forcing women to marry their rapists any day now. It's a wet dream for the GOP.
Here is what I think of your comment. I fired off an E-mail to Newsvine directly, and here is what it looks like:
Some of the remarks here are getting pretty libelous. I would suggest reviewing the posts of this guy.Comments like this are beyond responding to.
RRuinI have no doubt the Republican Party will put a law up forcing women to marry their rapists any day now. It's a wet dream for the GOP.
2!#9 - Thu Mar 15, 2012 10:07 PM EDT
FYI - I am not a Republican, and I am not a T.E.A. member or supporter either. Your comments are way out of line and completely off subject.
Liberals thrive on creating division within the American people. First it was racist, then came Class Warfare, more on Voter IDs, and now it is women's rights. I wonder what is next on their agenda.
Guess they are taking these ideas from Media Matters or another tentacle from the White House.
The American Taliban would simply require that the rapist pay the traditional price when he buys the rape victim - 50 shekels of silver.
Morrocan society would benefit from full immasculation of this perv followed by slitting every tendon in his body and having him dragged through the streets as an object lesson. At least this sounds appropriate for a society that allows and even forces by law such repulsive acts as he committed. Sixteen years old and backed into such a vicious corner, no escape except death. Hopefully she is in a better place.
that is normal in those countries and even in the philippines, etc...
men will rape a girl they know would never marry or want them just to get them to marry them because they know the girl won't say anything to disgrace herself or her family, then she is stuck living a horror, married to and having sex and children with the man that raped them and usually suffers beatings or worse.
a man can find a beautiful young girl, rape her, then forces her to marry him or he tells her family and the community all sorts of stories.
Rest in peace, Amina. Perhaps your death will make a difference.
I'm sorry she didn't feed rat poison to him. I'm sure his village is doing everything to console him, while hiding their own daughters and looking to the next village for his next victim. He probably had three wives already, and demanded her parents to fork over a few years of their income for a dowry.
SOME of us men are terrible to women, but it seems Islamic men rule over women like a demented child king.
If I tried to be like that with my wife, my own sister would probably put a gun to my head. Yes, she carries, as do I, my wife, and 2 of my brothers; all responsibly.
Islamic Law is barbaric, as are some of these traditions. Maybe a few of them should revert to violence; at night when the men are asleep.
Actually this is biblical law, straight out of the old testament.
As expected, I was just finishing a long discussion about virginity test in Egypt, where liberals have turned it into a discussion about Republicans
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/11/10640352-egypt-army-court-acquits-doctor-over-virginity-test?threadId=3366911&commentId=63328857#c63328857
when another terrible news about a teenager Muslim girl who committed suicide was turned into another attack on conservative Americans.
All I can say to all those self centered liberals; when will you ever react to such tragedies as human beings who feel for the victims, and not as ideologues who are only looking for opportunities to justify your senseless hate for conservatives and Republicans.
Now for a more humane reaction to this tragedy, read this article
http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/03/amina-is-my-bouazizi-a-girl-who-committed-suicide-after-being-forced-to-marry-her-rapist/31206
People on this thread are completely off subject. I suspect it is muslims trying to sew the seeds of "spin". This Morrocan law is another tragic embarassment to the application os sharia laws. It is ironic that Morocco is considered a "progressive" Muslim country.
It is Sharia law that is the impetus for such miscarriages of justice. It is the twisted laws of "Morality" above the rights of the individual. It is superstitious mentality that God will somehow be offended by the raped woman unless she is forced to marry the rapist so she can avoid the charge of adultery or premarital sex. They are made fools by their obscenely obese sense of honor.
The story is tragic and unnerving. We call those who stand against sharia law "Islamaphobes", yet we can see in this sort of law the incongruency of sharia law and modern personal rights.
Another one who needs his breathing priviledges taken away...
...like right now!!