I see we have now moved from labelling ANY critic of the Israeli government policy as anti semitic or a self-hating Jew to a collective one of 'haters'

I was a staunch and vocal critic of Bush's administration and Blair's decision to take the UK into Iraq so I suppose that makes me a 'hater' too or does it only apply to criticising Israeli policies?

I have argued on this forum against the cultural practice of female genital mutilation and the imposition of the burka sometimes with 'disappointing' support from other members so please don't question my (often unpopular) stance on 'women's rights'

My own personal belief is that there is no excuse for the killing of women OR men in the name of ANY 'religion', 'culture' or 'tradition' - maybe I just don't 'hate' enough!


Stoning is largely prescribed, either by law or by custom/practice in particular communities, for the crime of "adultery of married persons"

It is a unique form of punishment in that there is no single executioner.
The simplistic act of gathering the victim's peers around him creates killers out of everyone

"Although it takes many different forms, stoning has been used throughout history and in many religious and cultural traditions as a kind of community justice or capital punishment.
For instance, the practice has been documented among the ancient Greeks to punish people judged to be prostitutes, adulterers or murderers.
It is also documented in the Jewish Tradition via the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, and the Talmud, or Jewish Oral Law.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, stoning is prescribed a method of execution for crimes such as murder, blasphemy or apostasy.

Although there is no mention of stoning in the Quran, the practice has since grown to be associated with Islam and Muslim culture

Stoning is a highly debated topic within the Muslim religious community, and reputable Iranian clerics, such as Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Yousef Saneii and Ayatollah Seyyed Mohamamd Mousavi Bojnourdi, have spoken out against it.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, too, has spoken out against the practice, explaining that stoning should not be accepted as Islamic Law and only serves to humiliate and defame Islam.

Others have led lively theological debates to convey that the practice is not Islamic.

Many Muslim nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Tunisia, Algeria and others have banned death by stoning. Despite calls for abolition from around the globe, stoning still occurs in several countries, either under law or by the community."

From The Global Campaign to stop killing and stoning women

Stoning is one example, albeit a brutal one, of how culture and religion are being misused to control and perpetuate violence against women.