Syria | Rape as weapon of war?!

By Limor Shiponi

Last night on the news, they talked about rape in Syria. Item after item we were watching the terrible state of women and men there, being raped because they are Sunnite, Alawite, Shiite, non-Islamic, whatever, women tempted into sexual Jihad, marriage Jihad, eventually ending up as sex slaves or sold to slavery somewhere in the Arab world.  All under fatwas announced by Islamic clerics or under nothing else but the instant impulse of some male – usually carrying a rifle and not alone.

G8 Ministers Classify Rape, Sexual Violence As War Crimes. The ministers agreed on setting up an international framework for investigating and prosecuting rape and that there would never be amnesties for sexual violence in peace treaties. I can’t understand how they are going to investigate and prosecute something happening on such a horrifying scale, under a governing law that does not consider G8 as anything you need to consider, even with Angelina Jolie on your side. The governing law isn’t only Assad’s regime, you have those Islamic clerics allowing it. Therefore thinking it’s ethnic is not the full picture either.

Calling rape a weapon of war just classifies it but does nothing else. It also teaches about the narrative used by G8, the UN and many others. How is that classification going to help those women right now? eventually, some who will survive, will receive minor monetary compensation, most probably from the west. That’s all and that’s nothing. The criminals will walk free because the west constantly runs away from demanding Islamic clerics and leaders to carry the responsibility for their words and actions. They don’t like “hurting Muslims’ feelings” and by that share the responsibility – if you don’t mind – for horrific crimes.

Those women need protection right away. Saying it’s an internal conflict and that Syrians have to solve it between themselves is a straight-forward lie for a long time already. Almost every ‘power’ has people on the ground there, stirring the pot on the expense of the common man, making loads of money from trading weapons, drugs and slaves – mostly women; doing nothing to protect them and their children.

From all the videos shown on the news yesterday, and Israeli news refrain from showing graphic visuals, what got stuck in my mind was a short piece of footage showing a woman taken away from her home, each of her arms held by a man carrying a weapon, leading her to where they would rape her in a couple of minutes. They walked slowly, she tried to resist by falling to the ground, they beat her some, pulled her up on her feet and kept leading her away, no rush.

The helpless feeling won’t let go. I can’t figure how a state that does not protect its people can be observed as a sovereign state. All those Jihadists and terrorists swarming into Syria get it. Others, for some reasons I can’t grab, won’t.

If the ‘powers’ are going to let Syria continue where it’s leading I can’t do anything about it. The only thing I can do is call Muslim women who can push for a dramatic change to go for it. If your faith is being used against you by power-hungry clerics, they are only clerics, not Allah. If you can make counter calls to young women not to give their consent to sex Jihad and marriage Jihad, if you can help women run away from Syria in clever ways, do it now. Fear? what is happening is beyond fear, at least to my eyes.

For goodness sake, I’m living on the other side of the border from Syria defined an enemy state to Israel, but watching the state of the people there is intolerable for a long time. I know there are many Israelis who despite everything would like to help them. I know there are Israeli non-combatant military on the land of Syria helping wounded people. All International media can make of it is that Israel it trying to grab land. They would rather have the wounded bleed to death in the field and continue pouring empty words all over the place. I can’t make up my mind about how exactly to call those clatterers. Maybe they need to learn that although living in a conflict zone, you can help people, save lives. Maybe they have a hidden agenda that is way stronger than giving a damn about people. Beats me.

Rape is not a weapon of war. Calling it that is guising a criminal act under an agenda. Cut that story because it’s a sick, cynical lie.

Footnote – any comments using this space to promote anti-Israeli agenda from the pro-Palestinian kind, will be instantly deleted. Reason – you’ll be ignoring the matter at hand concerning the topic of this post. Israeli military is not involved in raping Palestinian women besides a known incident that happened shortly after the constitution of the state. Better get busy with finding ways to help women in Syria and Muslim women tempted to go there under sex and marriage Jihad.