Acid attack threat

Recently, the Pakistani unit of the Taliban announced not only that it demands "unislamic" businesses to close (CD shops, cable service providers and internet cafes)--they also warned women that they have 15 days to start wearing hijab--or have their faces maimed with acid. These guys claim to be out to destroy the "traitors to Allah"--while they go against every Qur'anic command to respect human rights.

Disfiguring women's faces with acid has a long, scary history--including in Kashmir, in Pakistan, as well as Bangladesh, Uganda, Vietnam, Cambodia, Ethiopia, the UK, Turkey, Colombia, Thailand, and the U.S. Sadly, this is the short list.

While acid attacks happen most frequently in Muslim-majority countries, this crisis doesn't plague Muslims alone. It is vitally important to understand just how widespread these kinds of attacks are. They can do much more than maim someone's physical appearance. Blindness, loss of speech and even death can result. Many, after losing significant amounts of skin, are unable to survive the infections that ravage their bodies. UNICEF reported a story about a baby girl whose father poured acid into her mouth because she was not the boy he wanted his wife to bring into the world. She grew up unable to speak or hear.

Receiving the threat of an acid attack is alarming--but to see the pervasiveness of this horror is petrifying. Now, an acid-maiming campaign is being launched--openly--against Pakistani women. Unlike when communities have been taken by surprise, the Pakistani Taliban has stated their gruesome, disgusting mission publicly. We cannot claim shock this time around.

What can we do?

• Get involved with groups like the International Campaign Against Honour Killings (http://stophonourkillings.com/). Acid attacks are often used where a woman is seen as having "dishonored" her family, community, or religion. ICAHK works against this brutality. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (http://www.hrcp-web.org/index.cfm) releases yearly reports on violence against women.
• Learn more from Amnesty International (http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/violence-against-women---a-fact-sheet/page.do?id=1108440&n1=3&n2=39) and join their campaign to protect women's rights. Learn by watching videos like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdeYt3zINOY) and take action.

We cannot claim ignorance or justify inaction.

--Raquel Evita Saraswati
http://raquelevita.wordpress.com

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