Diplomatic finesse

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What happens when you never have to face an election: you lose your gaffe inhibitor (via Arzan):

‘… if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped’

— Musharraf

“You must understand the environment in Pakistan,” Musharraf added. “This has become a moneymaking concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.” [Link]

Because Mukhtar Mai represents the millions of high-rollin’, Canada-based gang rape queens. Why, I hear the villagers do it for fun these days:

  1. Get gang-raped in the morning
  2. Fax a press release in the afternoon
  3. Profit!

It’s par for course in a legal system which not only does not take crimes against women seriously, it re-victimizes them for their loss of ‘purity.’ But don’t you dare try to fix anything if you live in Pakistan — it may offend Musharraf’s pride. He closes with this chest-thumping chaser:

“Leave the developing world aside; I think we are better than all of them,” Musharraf declared. “Bring the developed world and let us compare Pakistan’s record, under me, a uniformed man, with many of the developed countries. I challenge that we will be better off.” [Link]

Manmohan Singh just met with Musharraf in NYC Tuesday night. One wonders whether Singh had to speak in the grunts and howls of a silverback male.

More at Reality Cafe.

Update: The WaPo has it on tape (via Arzan). Listen here.

21 thoughts on “Diplomatic finesse”

  1. What’s doubly sickening is the soft attitude of the US media toward Musharraf; the Post didn’t even call him out on his comment!

    On Reality Cafe, I agree with this: “Men like him — well-spoken pseudo-modernists — do more damage to womenÂ’s issues than the textbook patriarchal bigot.”

    Except there is nothing “pseudo” about Musharraf’s commitment to modernity– in his authoritarianism, his dictatorial “L’etat c’est moi” attitude, his belief that image matters uber alles– is real enough. Pity the modernity he has in mind is that of Mussolini, Salazar, and Franco.

  3. What i fear most is … the more he talks … the more of his stupidity is revealed … the more that is publicly known the more anger he generates from others … the more the anger the more the chances of him being ousted or “coup”ed out of his throne … and if that happens, the more the chances of the NUKES getting into wrong hands!! (In short, why can’t he just shut up?)

  4. What happened to Mukhtar Mai was absolutely abhorrent! However I was talking to a Pakistani friend of mine and even he seemed to have the same opinion that she is in it for the money. Now although I may not agree with him that she is in it for the money, I am a wee bit suspicious about the intentions and work done by the NGO’s that are supposed to help the victim.

    I read this article yesterday about Ameena, a 14-year old bride to an Arab, who was rescued in 1991 and it further adds to my scepticism of the work done by these NGO’s. Of course Musharraf’s opinions are absolute balderdash.

  5. I read this article yesterday about Ameena, a 14-year old bride to an Arab, who was rescued in 1991 and it further adds to my scepticism of the work done by these NGO’s.

    Oops! She was 11 when it happened and its been 14 years since.

  6. How exactly does one get oneself raped? Consentual rape? Ah, Pervez, you are a man of koan, you are the sound of one man yapping.

    On a side note – Does it really matter if Mai’s in it for the money at this point? She didn’t exactly ‘get herself raped’ for the money.

  7. Nobody ever calls on Musharraf. I have had college kids during informal discussions telling me “Isn’t Musharraf a real stand up guy, especially after 9/ 11?” I think he is losing it…………..

    ……except Nicholas Kristoff from NYT.

    I am might going to Pakistan early next year.

  8. Let me preface my comments by saying that I don’t believe anyone should be raped, or “get themselves raped” or anything of the sort..

    But, this comment isn’t reflective of Musharraf’s opinion, is it? As far as I can tell, he is pointing out the f*cked up lesson that some screwed up people are taking from the Muktaran Mai case.. is he not?

    A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.”

    So, from what I understood of the quote; he’s got a problem on his hands whereby people who want to get a visa are attempting to claim false circumstances.

    Please note that I don’t believe this should excuse him from preventing Mukhtaran Mai from leaving the country, or his other actions in regards to the state of women in Pakistan.. but.. I feel like this might be a bit of a hullabaloo over nothing..?

  9. Jhaan: point conceded, but the statement is still an incredible faux pas. Imagine the leader of a country saying this or, even further, prefacing the comment with – “You must understand the environment in Pakistan…” As the leader of the country does he take responsibility for that?

  10. … this comment isn’t reflective of Musharraf’s opinion, is it?

    It sure is. He’s just using a ‘some people say’ rhetorical proxy. In context, it’s clear he thinks the rape victim is giving Pakistan a black eye for her own money and fame:

    Musharraf also became animated when he spoke about the case of Mukhtar Mai, a 33-year-old illiterate woman who spoke publicly about having been gang-raped on the orders of village council in 2002. Mai, bucking taboos, won public sympathy and government support after she demanded that the men be charged and convicted. But earlier this year Musharraf earned the ire of the Bush administration when he blocked her from traveling to the United States to publicize the case. Musharraf said that Mai was free to travel now — though she has never left Pakistan — and that he had no regrets about how he handled the incident. He said Mai had come under the sway of organizations determined to harm Pakistan’s image and he did not think Pakistan “should be singled out when the curse is everywhere in the world.” He noted he had seen reports or figures about rape in the United States, Canada, France and Britain showing that “it is happening everywhere.” “You must understand the environment in Pakistan,” Musharraf added. “This has become a moneymaking concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.”

  11. Jhaan: I agree with Manish, and don’t how you got that from Musharraf’s comment. Btw, in a society where the stigma associated with rape is so severe, how believable is it that women are lining up claiming they’ve been gang-raped. There is not an iota of truth to this– if Canada were granting hundreds of visas based on alleged rapes, we would have heard plenty about it by now.

  12. Musharraf = weakest “dictator” ever

    Mushy is not really this dumb… but he still has to make a total ass out of himself over the whole Mukhtaran/rape issue in order to satisfy the people who are really in charge… the landlords. This is the same Stepin Fetchit shuffle he had to do over AQ Khan, terror symp NWFP warlords, child labor, etc, etc…

    Michael Brown could be the President of Pakistan for all the difference it would make…

  13. Musharaff is talking about Dr. Shazia Khan’s rape and her plea to immigrate to Canada.

    It is human unbecoming.

    From http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/opinion/02kristof.html?ex=1126929600&en=8519266b24fd2ad8&ei=5070

    A Pakistani Rape, and a Pakistani Love Story

    • N. Kristof

    Excerpts:

    “I’m sure I’ll get inquiries from readers wanting to help Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid. Since they are lonely and isolated in London, but have friends and relatives in Canada, the single thing that would help the most is if Canada reconsidered its refusal to grant them asylum. You can suggest that by writing to Joseph Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1, Canada. You can send e-mail to Minister@cic.gc.ca. If Canada gives Dr. Shazia asylum, this love story can still end well; otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll be one more tragedy.”

  14. Well, Musharraf knows what he is talking about. He made his millions getting raped by the Jihadis. It is kind of sad that things aren’t all hunky-dory between them now that he is refusing to bend over.

  15. Just a technical point here, but I think it can be pretty hard to get into Canada even on refugee status or other extenuating cirumstances (i.e. your life is threatened and/or rape). I think there was a cbc documentary about this a couple of years ago, and it was about people who were had desparate to stay in Canada but were, sadly, returned.

    She’ll definitely get to come here if she wants to because of the publicity, but for most people in desparate situations, Immigration bureaucracy can be quite the bastard: they simply don’t understand cultural circumstances in other parts of the world.

    Be back later, Paul Martin is talking about Perez’s comment on the news…

  17. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.

    As much as I hate to cavil at such details, ‘getting yourself raped’ is a logically inconsistent statement.

    Being with the Army, the General is sure to appreciate the Catch-22 situation here.

    If you did try to ‘get yourself raped’, it would be voluntary sex and therefore void. Contrariwise, if you did get raped that would not be voluntary.

    Unless ofcourse they wore jeans and t-shirts and low-necklines and bait the men.

  18. Umair and Manish – thank you for helping me understand better. Your points are well articulated and make sense. Perhaps I was just lending Musharraf a tad too much diplomatic leeway.

  19. is musharraf considering the option ? i mean, sometime in the future when things get unpleasant for him in pakistan, perhaps. think about the guy who would be forced to commit the forcible act.

  21. Heres a nonrelated but funny joke.

    ManMohan Singh, Musharraf, Aishwarya Rai and Sonia Gandhi are traveling in a train. The train suddenly goes through a tunnel and it gets completely dark. Suddenly there is a kissing sound and then a slap! The train comes out of the tunnel. Sonia Gandhi and ManMohan Singh are sitting there looking perplexed. Musharraf is bent over holding his face, which is red from an apparent slap. All of them remain diplomatic and nobody says anything. Sonia is thinking: “These Pakistanis are all crazy after Aishwarya. Musharraf must have tried to kiss her in the tunnel. Very proper that she slapped him”

    Aishwarya is thinking: “Musharraf must have moved to kiss me, and kissed Sonia instead and got slapped.”

    Musharraf is thinking: “Damn! it, ManMohan Singh must have tried to kiss Aishwarya, she thought it was me and slapped! me.”

    ManMohan Singh is thinking: “If this train goes through another tunnel, I could make another kissing sound and slap Musharraf again.”