Ah, one of our 'allies' in the war against terror. Which seems to include a side war against women. Is he lined up to get an honorary medal of freedom, Pakistani division? Mr. Musharraf seems to be of the “Relax and enjoy it” school of oppression.
Lining Up to Be Raped? - New York Times
Our close ally President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan visited the U.S. last week and fretted aloud about a surprising problem: The “easiest way” for Pakistani women to make money is to get raped, he said, so they're lining up to be raped and thus making him look bad.
...
“You must understand the environment in Pakistan,” The Washington Post quoted him as saying. “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.”That comment got Mr. Musharraf in hot water. So over the weekend, Mr. Musharraf denied that he had ever said any such thing - noting that if he had, he would have been “stupid.”
...The Washington Post reviewed its tapes and reported that it had quoted him correctly. It also added an additional quote from the same interview, in which Mr. Musharraf spoke of rape as an avenue to riches: “It is the easiest way of doing it. Every second person now wants to.”
I forgot to add Mr. Kristof to the list of sometimes useful NYT columnists.
parenthetical note: the New York Times finally emailed me today, but with useless login information. I cannot log in using Safari, only Firefox. Bleh. I should get a rebate.
