I was gang-raped by 40 men, says nun
Sat Oct 25

A nun who was allegedly raped by more than 40 men during recent anti-Christian violence in eastern India demanded a federal investigation, and accused local police of shielding her attackers.

The nun said she was sexually assaulted by a rioting mob on August 25, days after the murder of a Hindu priest sparked attacks by Hindu extremists on the Christian community in coastal Orissa state.

"They pulled out my sari and one of them stepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me," said Mina Barwa, who broke down in tears several times while speaking to reporters in New Delhi.

Barwa, 29, said she was dragged to a burned-out Christian home where the terrifying crime occurred. She was then beaten with sticks and paraded semi-naked in the streets as mobs threatened to gang rape her.

"They had already torn away my blouse and undergarments," she said of her attackers. "And they went on beating me with their hands on my cheeks and head and with sticks on my back."

More than half-a-dozen people have been arrested over the incident.

But Barwa, who covered her face with a scarf while speaking with reporters, said she had little faith in local Orissa police.

"State police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers, and they tried their best to make sure that I did not make complaints against police," she said.

"I was raped and now I don't want to be victimised by the Orissa police."

At least 35 people died in weeks of anti-Christian attacks in Orissa and nearly 50,000 fled their homes. Many of them remain in state-run shelters.

"The conditions in those relief shelters are terrible. There are no toilets and officials say tribal women don't need any toilets," said rights activist John Dayal.

Thousands of people are also living in the forests, unable to return as their houses have been burned down, Dayal said.

"People have no faith in police."

Mobs have attacked dozens of churches, prayer halls and Catholic-run schools and burned down scores of Christian homes in the state, which is ruled by a political party allied to India's Hindu nationalist party.

Hardline Hindu groups accuse missionaries of bribing poor tribes people and low-caste Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering free education and health care.

Catholic groups say Christians in the state are being forced to reconvert to Hinduism.

Pope Benedict XVI has strongly condemned the violence.

India's Supreme Court this week rejected a plea by a Catholic bishop for a federal investigation into the alleged rape, saying the matter should be probed by the Orissa police.

Religious clashes erupt periodically in India where only 2.3 percent of the more than 1.1 billion population are practising Christians.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=653293

and there was that Missionary and his children burned to death the other year.

sprint, What was that you posted in the Islamic forum the other day?? Jews, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists all respect one another, it's only Muslims who don't?

We already crossed Jews off that list, now Hindus too?

abu_rashid wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 11:40am:

sprint, What was that you posted in the Islamic forum the other day?? Jews, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists all respect one another, it's only Muslims who don't? We already crossed Jews off that list, now Hindus too?

The nun exposed her face, therefore, she was asking for it. Hey, Abu?

actually in Islam the face is permitted to be seen- so the point is moot anyway

no woman asks for rape

let's not make this about islam or how she was dressed thankyou- it's about hindu extremism. go nuts.

Quote:

no woman asks for rape

As far as Islam goes, that's the whole reason women are forced (yes, whether they acknowledge it or not) to cover their bodies apart from hands and face, so their men are not tempted to do the wrong thing. "Western" women, according to muslim men, are sluts and whores because they show more than what muslim women show. Fact.

jordan484 wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 4:53pm:

Quote: no woman asks for rape As far as Islam goes, that's the whole reason women are forced (yes, whether they acknowledge it or not) to cover their bodies apart from hands and face, so their men are not tempted to do the wrong thing. "Western" women, according to muslim men, are sluts and whores because they show more than what muslim women show. Fact.

dude, take it elsewhere. start another thread if you want but this thread is NOT ABOUT ISLAM. PERIOD.

Oops, apologies.

I just saw Islam mentioned before me and commented on the flow of the topic.

Apologies again for going off topic.

jordan484 wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 4:57pm:

Oops, apologies. I just saw Islam mentioned before me and commented on the flow of the topic. Apologies again for going off topic.

no worries mate. cheers :)

simple, ban all religion.

Of course, wait until I have taken all the kids to brainwash with my evil atheism, and then we can see an unholy army of non belief to revive the atheists agendas of pol pot, stalin, and mao, as all atheists are really working on an agenda of despotic coercion.

But practically speaking, could we ever see a gang of 40 sex criminals united under the cloak of any umbrella, other than religion?

Hindus do have a pretty appalling reputation in India, unless you are brahman, you are cool then, 'cause you can treat everyone like crap, with god's blessing.

Abu - I would not think this behaviour was directed to hindus by their beliefs.
Unfair to blame the whole belief for actions some do, when those actions are condemned by that same belief.

Do jews discriminate against nonjews ??
Maybe a good thread to start

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 6:52pm:

Abu - I would not think this behaviour was directed to hindus by their beliefs. Unfair to blame the whole belief for actions some do, when those actions are condemned by that same belief.

exactly?!

mozzaok wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 5:04pm:

simple, ban all religion. But practically speaking, could we ever see a gang of 40 sex criminals united under the cloak of any umbrella, other than religion?

Of course. The social forces that bind would rally under another ideology. Something like ethnocentrism or nationalism (or communism). Take the predilection towards national or ethno-chauvinism (manifestations of which are sometimes posted here), enter the inevitable leader – the charismatic erudite sociopath, add the obligatory rivals (the enemies within and without), focus adherents on ‘crimes against our noble cause’, wait for an economic or social catastrophe and… just rape them? Why not rape them, dismember them and tie their body parts to a tree?

What is the record? Was there more then 40 men (or women) taking part in a rape ever?
What Guinness Book of records has to say about this?

there's something about crimes like these- they're so horrific you can't even imagine them. I find it hard to even understand this.

this woman is amazingly strong. being raped by one person is horrific enough, being gang raped is horrific enough- but being gang raped by 40 men? mother of god. and then she has the strength to come on tv and talk about it.

and all this within the context of being a nun- someone who was most likely a virgin and lived by virtues of modesty etc. I am surprised she can even speak. I think my mind would have completely broken.

may god help her and punish the filth who violated her, those who stood by and encouraged it and those who stood by and did nothing.

gaybriel - agreed

I wonder what the good ol' boys in the deep South of the US of A would do if a Hindu lady was openly evangelising Hindu and successfully converting some of their good Christian sons to Hindu.

Of course it's wrong, it's brutal and I feel sorry for her.

In the end, people feel very strongly about their national cultures and religions. Any cross-cultural missionary work like this is frought with danger.

Quote:

Of course. The social forces that bind would rally under another ideology. Something like ethnocentrism or nationalism (or communism). Take the predilection towards national or ethno-chauvinism (manifestations of which are sometimes posted here), enter the inevitable leader – the charismatic erudite sociopath, add the obligatory rivals (the enemies within and without), focus adherents on ‘crimes against our noble cause’, wait for an economic or social catastrophe and… just rape them? Why not rape them, dismember them and tie their body parts to a tree?

Fair points Helian, of course violent behaviour displays itself en masse far too often, to dismiss it as the work of religion, but there is something unfathomable about having 40 men line up to rape someone, some sickness that I could not imagine.
Foremost I find the mechanics of the situation puzzling, how sick does one have to be to get stimulated by an act of violence, how can they find 40 like minded sociopaths that find violence stimulating, to all get together?

I know in wars, that groups of soldiers commit rapes in groups, but it is something I will never comprehend.

I took a cheap shot at religion, because of my revulsion, and it seems to have been the glue that bound this particular group together, but of course, there are other psychological and social forces at play.

I would tie them all over barrels in the bull paddock.

Mozz -I think the point we need to understand in all this, is that rape is about taking a power trip. It has very little to do with sexual gratification.

I appreciate that fact muso.

I knew a guy who had to perform with a farm animal for a bikie initiation, and the same question sprang to mind then, "how did you get aroused, was it a particularly pretty beast?"

It is 'that' mechanical attribute I fund puzzling.