When the Qatif story first broke out in Arab News some weeks ago, it threatened to upstage an important international event being held in the capital city of Riyadh. That was the OPEC summit that was convening with the attendance of heads of state, which included Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Mahmoud Ahmedinejad of Iran.
And while the OPEC summit did provide enough fodder for a slew of international journalists and media personnel with colorful dialogue provided by both Chavez and Ahmadinejad, it was the story of the Qatif girl that captured most of the attention of the foreign press.
And as the story circulated through domestically, wire services across the world were beginning to pick up on what they saw as a sinful travesty of justice where the rape victim was condemned along with her attackers. Her crime? Being alone in an area with a non-related male.
And while the story gathered enough steam to infiltrate the ongoing US presidential campaign, there were likewise strong reactions in different parts of the world from Asia to South America, with Europe and Africa thrown in as well.
Domestically as well, people were aghast that judges could render out such judgment against a rape victim. Rape is criminal in the universal code of justice and when victims are subjected to the humiliation of being punished for the aggression of their attackers, then serious concerns come to the fore on the validity of some of the judgments being passed by our judiciary.
King Abdullah has unconditionally pardoned the victim and her lawyer. The royal pardon reflected the opinion of the majority of Saudis who saw in this case the issue of biased justice. Whether it was tribal or reflected against women only those who passed the judgment could tell. And they are not talking.
But even as the Ministry of Justice attempted to repair the damage by claiming that King Abdullah used his authority "to diminish people's suffering when he is sure that such verdicts might leave psychological effects on those who received Shariah sentences, although he is convinced and trusts that the verdicts are just and fair," most Saudis feel that the time to overhaul our judiciary is here and now.
Countless cases of judgments based on bias or tribal alliances have often dished out more suffering than even-handed justice. And more so when women are involved. The case of Fatima, a woman divorced by judges against her will and imprisoned for the crime of refusing to abide by the court's judgment, is something our judiciary cannot be too proud of.
And when a rape victim is condemned to be lashed for being with an unrelated male, where does that leave the honor of the rest of the women in our society? Our mothers, our sisters, our wives and our daughters? Would they be subject to the same ghastly and dreadful verdict every time they are out and alone with the family driver? He is by no means related to them!
The judiciary must be overhauled and a recognized and codified system of justice implemented. By simply basing judgment on one's bias or narrow interpretations of the Shariah, such cases will rise at one time or the other. But what is encouraging is that the majority of Saudis have no patience for such follies. They have demonstrated that by fully accepting their king's judgment.
