Somali Women Forced At Gunpoint To Remove Their Bras

By Akela Talamasca on October 19th, 2009

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In Mogadishu, extreme Islamist group al Shabaab has been reported gathering up and whipping women who are thought to have breasts that are too firm, implying that they’re wearing bras, which apparently goes against strict interpretation of Sharia law.

To add insult to injury, these women are then forced to shake their breasts after being whipped. This is not the first such indignity al Shabaab has enforced; previous examples include making women wear veils of stiffer, more painful to wear fabric, and the amputation of the hands and feet of two men accused of robbery.

There’s nothing like a little disgusting human behavior to make me want to go Rambo on somebody. This is exactly the sort of thing that a Hollywood writer would come up with to fill the audience with hate and make them cheer when some ultraviolence goes down — but it’s not a movie. We need to watch ourselves here, kids. Religious extremism leads to a whoooole lot of crazy things, all in the name of God. Don’t think it’s impossible that our country could find itself wandering down this path. Scripture is always open to interpretation; that’s the problem with ambiguous language. And when men with guns start making their own rules, we’re not too far from Thunderdome. Get involved in global politics, make your voice heard. Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. Let’s keep shining a light on horrors like these until we don’t have to anymore.