.... It is very possible that Ashtiani may have been pressured, forced or coerced into making such a statement. She may also be trying to strategically curry favour with the authorities.
But the issue of Muslim women becoming complicit in their own subjugation (through fear, obeisance or wilful intent) and by extension, the issue of some Muslim women becoming complicit in the symbolic oppression of women in general is an important — though fraught — topic.
In 2010, three Muslim women in Malaysia who were caned for having sex outside of marriage claimed that the punishment was justified and even beneficial. The three women, aged 17-25, said they turned themselves in after feeling guilty for having pre-marital sex with their respective boyfriends. [The Age] Read more
