Do Liberal Societies Facilitate Rape via the Legalization of Pornography?

[Bilal9]

OK let me break it down for you homies:

1. The unnatural division of the genders is what causes pornography to be popular. No religion talks about dividing genders unnaturally. It is a cultural phenomenon.
2. If Men truly *understood* and *respected* women around them (not going to happen in a million years but we keep trying) then there would be some natural shame in pornography. People would objectify women less.
3. Like in any sane, civil society, we must respect religious edicts, human decency and natural mores about objectification of women. This has to happen regardless if women protest it or not. If protest comes then it is too late and a shame. We hadn't done our job as members of civil society to protect women.
4. Objectification of women is what causes p*rn to be popular. P*rn is not real. No woman I know acts like women acting in P*rn. It is a made-up industry built on sex addiction. Addiction of any kind is not good.
5. Urges of procreation are a natural phenomenon for near-adults and adults and the release needed is also natural. What is important is abuse of women is not involved when such release is needed. Watching p*rn is passively aiding in mental objectification of women.
6. If you are a male, respect the women around you and preserve their 'haya'. It is the will of Allah/Ishwar and your divine job as the aggressive gender.
7. See no. 6 and repeat ad-infinitum.

 

[jamahir]

 

[Luffy 500]

Europe’s Problem of Rape Against Women

"One in 10 women has experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 15, and one in 20 has been raped.

31 % of women have experienced one or more acts of physical violence since the age of 15.

Only 14 % of women reported their most serious incident of intimate partner violence to the police.

Of women who have been raped by their current partner, about one third (31 %) have experienced six or more incidents of rape by their partner."

You may think that these facts and statistics were from some distant, far-away land inhabited by people who are “foreign”; who look different, a people who are “known” to oppress women in countries such as Afghanistan or Pakistan or maybe Saudi Arabia, each of which have a sizeable Muslim population. After all, it is well known isn’t it that domestic violence is a Muslim issue? Well, I can assure you that the above statistics are from the findings of a report published in Brussels last week entitled “Violence against women: an EU-wide Survey”, based on interviews with 42,000 women across 28 EU member states[1]

The survey shows that violence against women is “an extensive human rights abuse” across Europewith one in three women reporting some form of physical or sexual abuse since the age of 15 and 8% suffering abuse in the last 12 months, according to the largest survey of its kind on the issue. In three countries often praised for their gender equality, for example, high numbers of women report suffering violence since the age of 15: in Denmark 52%, Finland 47%, and Sweden 46% of women say they have suffered physical or sexual violence. The UK reports the joint fifth highest incidence of physical and sexual violence (44%), whereas women in Poland report the lowest (19%).

The survey found that abuse, particularly domestic violence, remains socially permissible if it is kept in the private sphere. In fact, legal decisions from the European Court of Human Rights have found that domestic violence is treated as a private dispute between partners in many European countries, not a public matter requiring government interference and prosecution[2].

It is clear that violence against women is not receiving enough attention in most European countries and instead, it is ignored, often typecast as endemic to other parts of the world as suggested at the outset of this article. All the while, abuse against women has been persisting and thriving on European soil. Whenever the issue of domestic violence or indeed violence in general against women is discussed, it is often done so in relation to its purported association with ‘religion’ and more often than not, with a particular slight on the Islamic faith. Unfortunately, false logic can at times seem plausible, and even outright lies repeated often enough begin to sound like the truth. Sadly, when this happens, stereotypes and rumours replace facts, and knowledge is replaced with ignorance and misperception, and ignorance fuels hatred and bigotry.

The alleged relationship between Islām and domestic violence has become so normalised that sadly some Muslims themselves have unfortunately bought into this concept that domestic violence is an issue which Muslims in particular must deal with, as if it is a crime which is monopolised by Muslims only in the same way concepts such as “extremism” and “terrorism” are also widely and wrongly accepted as being Muslim-only crimes. The question which the survey naturally highlights is: which religious values are responsible for driving the current spate of violence against women in Europe given that as recently as 2007, Muslims were found to only amount to 3.2%[3]of Europe’s population?Although the largest religion in Europe is Christianity, it is clear that the predominant spiritual guide in Europe is that of Capitalism and Secularism whose sole focus is material productivity rather than in the training of human beings, because material production is considered to be more important, more valuable and more honourable than the development of human character. Such a civilisation has often been branded as being “morally bankrupt” or indeed “backward” from the human point of view with the concept of greed at the heart of all that it stands for.

In an Islamic society for example, the family system and the relationship between the sexes determine the whole character of a society and whether it is backward or civilised. If the family is the basis of the society, the basis of the family is the division of labour between husband and wife, and the upbringing of children is one of the most important functions of the family; such a society according to an Islamic viewpoint is indeed civilised. In the Islamic system of life, this kind of a family provides the environment under which human values and morals develop and grow in the new generation; these values and morals cannot exist apart from the family unit. If, on the other hand, “free” sexual relationships and illegitimate children become the basis of a society, and if the relationship between man and woman is based on material lust, passion and impulse, it is seen as more meritorious to become engaged in work, for example, at the expense of safeguarding the family unit, then such a system is seen as fundamentally flawed from an Islamic viewpoint. This, as well as the dehumanisation of women as attractive commodities to market material objects becoming more and more widespread, is likely to be contributing to such high levels of violence against women in Europe.

Such societies which give ascendance to physical desires and animalistic morals cannot be considered “civilised” in terms of human development, no matter how much progress they may make in industry or science. In all modern societies, the meaning of ‘morality’ is limited to such an extent that all those aspects which distinguish man from animal are considered beyond its sphere. In these societies, illegitimate sexual relationships are not considered immoral. The practical meaning of ethics is limited to economic affairs or sometimes to political affairs which fall into the category of ‘government interests’. Many scandals are not considered serious by members of society because of sexual immorality and deviations but rather, they are glamorised almost for their gossip value because of the individuals involved. If in a society immoral teachings are rampant, and sexual activity is considered outside the sphere of morality, then in that society the humanity of man can hardly find a place to develop and perceptions of woman seen as mere objects will continue. In an age where to sell anything from fruit to cars requires women appearing in sexually suggestive ways and where even the very people leading the country themselves perpetuate this problem further such in the UK where MPs, peers and their staff were found to be accessing pornography websites hundreds of thousands of times in Parliament[4],it is thus asserted that Islamic values and morals, Islamic teachings and safeguards, are worthy of at least closer reflection for solving Europe’s current problems. Considering this unchanging and true measure of human progress, where a man’s relationship with a woman is regulated by the Divine guidance from al-Khāliq, the Creator, Islām is more than capable of resolving such a worrying trend developing in Europe by providing them with a truly civilised model which is not measured through the prism of material worth.

Finally, it is hoped that our Muslim brethren who have fallen prey to thinking domestic violence is a problem which Muslims must take ownership of, understand that Muslims are not only against domestic violence but are against all forms of unlawful violence. They should also not be afraid to remind those who live in glass houses to refrain from throwing stones. The one pointing his/her finger at the Muslims should remember that when pointing, three fingers remain pointing at themselves as is abundantly evident from the survey. Those Muslims that have an inferiority complex when it comes to looking up to Europeans by default for a benchmark for “progress” should also reflect and ponder over what kind of society we really want to live in.

@SecularNationalist @flamer84 @xenon54 @FrenchPilot @Zibago

 

[Zibago]

Question why was he banned @WAJsal

 

[Maravan]

I like this guy

Ehsan Abdulaziz: Saudi millionaire who said he 'accidentally tripped and penetrated' teenage girl cleared of rape | Crime | News | The Independent

 

[Vortex]

And before the development of pornography, and it's easy access, rape and child abuse was non existing?

I' m not advocating that pirnography is good for society, but liberal society do not allow rape.

Have a look at saudian society which is not liberal, how many rape hapened... Saudian sheikh seems to be above any law... And I'm not talking about our own Pakistani society where so many rapes hapened not due to any liberalism or any pornography but instead find its roots in the "power" of chaudry or other jatoi or rajput... Yes I'm talking about our Indian roots of arain, jatt, chaudry... And what not stupid name... of cast.

 

[livingdead]

what a load of rubbish.. what pornography got to do with liberalism.. if there is enough causal relation (rape with hardcore pornography) then it should be banned... in UK, like article suggests pornography that depicts rape is illegal, does it mean UK is not liberal?

This has to be proven to be true, saying its 'obviously' true does not make it true. People say violent games lead to violence in street, without much evidence.
Lot of people(male and female) enjoy watching normal pornography, and I dont see any problem. Its just act of having sex, how can it lead to rape?

 

[24 Hours]

These studies are flawed, anyway.

The Sunny Side of Smut - Scientific American

 

[Red Wolf]

 

[macnurv]

Do Liberal Societies Facilitate Rape via the Legalisation of Pornography? | Hamza Andreas Tzortzis
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

In a liberal society, the coercive power of the state is used with reluctance. Concerning individuals’ personal lives the state will be particularly conscious of the freedom of the individual, unless a convincing reason can be found to do otherwise. The problem with this is that the ‘convincing’ reason will be analysed via the lens of individualism, which in many cases means asserting individual rights to the point of tearing down a society.

Legal theorists generally agree that, in liberal societies, law fulfils basic values.[1] The basic values of a liberal society’s legal system are: order, justice and personal freedom. Professor of Civil Law Peter Stein explains how these values require delicate balance when legislators make new laws,

“These are the three basic values of the legal system. We criticise the law when something happens which suggests the law is deficient in any of them. But rarely do we call for them all together. In western society all are needed and the balance among them is a delicate one.”[2]

Since personal or individual freedom is a fundamental value taken into consideration when creating new laws, it can be argued that law, in a liberal society, tends to be individualistic. This may sound like a generalisation, however there are many cases that exhibit the emphasis on individual freedoms and rights to the extent that society – which includes many individuals – is harmed. This is brought to light when considering the direct correlation between the consumption of pornography and rape.

Pornography: a Causal Factor in Rape

Pornography and related material highlights the individualistic propensities in the liberal legal system. Pornography is legal in liberal societies, for example, the UK in 2000 legalised hardcore pornography. More recently it was announced in 2006 that possession of depictions of rape would become a criminal offence; however aggression and violence were not included. Additionally, the Criminal Justice and immigration Act 2008 introduced a new offence which includes the possession of extreme pornographic images; again aggression and violence were not included.[3] The notes to the 2008 Act only mention:

• an act which threatens a person’s life,
• an act which results, or is likely to result, in serious injury to a person’s anus, breasts or genitals,
• an act which involves or appears to involve sexual interference with a human corpse,
• a person performing or appearing to perform an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal (whether dead or alive)[4]

All other acts of aggression and violence depicted in pornographic material are still legal.

In light of the above, it can be argued that the rights of an individual seemed to have been outweighed by the effects of pornographic material on the wider society. Pornography, both violent and non-violent, is a major causal factor for the occurrence of rape in modern society. Although there are multi-causal theories established for the crime of rape, empirical and social research evidence is overwhelming in affirming that pornography is a major facilitating and causal factor.

“I don’t need studies and statistics to tell me that there is a relationship between pornography and real violence against women. My body remembers.”[5]

The above woman’s testimony taken in 1983 is just one voice of the thousands upon thousands of women who have been physically and emotionally abused as a result of the consumption of legal pornographic material. This woman’s anguish about her experience is not just an emotional unsubstantiated claim, there is ample of evidence to show how pornography that is legal in many liberal societies causes rape. For instance the feminist philosopher Diana E. Russel in her publication Pornography & Rape: A causal model states,

“My theory about how pornography – violent and non-violent – can cause rape…I have drawn on the findings of recent research to support my theory….Just as smoking is not the only cause of lung cancer, neither is pornography the only cause of rape. I believe there are many factors that play a causal role in this crime. I have not attempted here to evaluate the relative importance of these different causal factors, but merely to show the overwhelming evidence that pornography is a major one of them”[6]

In this study it cited journals and research that concluded,

• 56% of rapists implicated pornography in the commission of their offences,
• 33% of rapists claimed they were incited by pornography,
• 25 – 30 % of college students would rape if they could get away with it.

Liberal societies would not ban or criminalise pornography because society is not considered and emphasized under the liberal value of individual freedom. As can be seen above, liberal values are not conducive to good legislation because the values that underpin law in liberal societies are individualistic and tend to ignore social obligations, links and attachments. Pornography both violent and non-violent has been shown to cause rape, and due to the individualistic propensities in the development of liberal law, society is almost ignored and women have to face the dehumanization process of this legal activity, and it’s facilitation of this terrible crime.

As a final note, Islam and Muslims are not against the rights of the individual. However, Islam’s view on society doesn’t rest on a false premise; rather it has a unique view on the individual and his relationship with society. This philosophy is best described by the following Prophet tradition,

“God’s messenger gave an example of people sailing on a boat having an upper deck and a lower deck. The people from the lower deck require water and request water from the people of the upper deck. The people from the upper deck refuse water, so the people from the lower deck decide to make a hole in the floor of the ship and get water from the sea. God’s messenger said, ‘If the people from the upper deck don’t stop the people at the bottom from making a hole, the ship will sink and all the people travelling will drown.’”[7]

This tradition presents the view that individuals are part of society and the society is part of the individual. It highlights the need for a symbiotic relationship between society and the individual. Certain actions, values and behaviours of individuals in a society can affect it in negative way, especially if these actions and values are non cohesive. Hence, Islam propagates cohesive values in its society to prevent the ‘boat from sinking’, in other words preventing social ills like the crime of rape.

[1] “Legal Values, Legal Theory, and Social Theory” in Peter Stein, Legal Values in Western Society [Edinburgh University Press, 1974] Chapter 1.
[2] Ibid
[3] http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/announcement261108a.htm
[4] http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/extreme-pornographic-images.pdf
[5] Diana E. H. Russell in ‘Pornography and Rape: A Causal Model’. Drucilla Cornell. Feminism and Pornography. Oxford Readings in Feminism. 2007. p 56.
[6] Ibid p. 48 – 93.
[7] Mishkaat vol. 2 p. 436

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@Akheilos @JUBA @Malik Abdullah @Zarvan @monitor

The only response such stupidity deserves.

Look.................. Its not a rocket science........... all you need a working brain + working eyes to see the Truth.......... pornography promote rape+ Child Abuse+Sexual assaults in society.

There is no ''positive'' thing about it...............
Its all about Lust, and making money by using that Lust........... There is no ''education'' or ''learning'' or what so ever about pornography............. it has to be banned through out the World.

There is no Liberal vs Religious debate about it, ................ its all about morality and social justice........... **** ruin it all

Accha, show me the scientific evidence of this, some peer reviewed research maybe, you have to be a special kind of stupid to believe this crap.

Yes it does it's pretty obvious

Noooohhhh!!! Nothing can stop me from loving Kelsey Monroe. I love you Kelsey!!!

I have to agree, her ASSets are something

certainly the rapid spread of pornography have increase the rate of rape and sexual assault. list look at our country just few years back we don't hear not much case of sexual abuses or rape in our country now so many rape and other unsocial activity can certainly blame on easy access to pornography .

No you genius, the rape have nothing to do with ****, you are literally talking out of your bum. A society which actually thinks a women cant rid a bike because opening her legs somehow magically effects her chastity, which always demonizes a rape victim by blaming her or him, claims to be an expert at a complex issue as rape. The worst joke since invention of Asian values mantra.

Thanks for your active participation, topic is related to Pornography and not POPCORNOGRAPHY

True, but that emoji got more brain power than all the ****=rape crowd combined.

The 90% empty posts are from brainless trolls !! Now all of you just identified yourselves as candidates for brain transplant.

Seriously!