Chibok abductions: Nigeria girls' taken abroad'

[LeftishBrit]

Source: BBC News

Some of the schoolgirls abducted by suspected militant Islamists in northern Nigeria are believed to have been taken to neighbouring states, a local leader has told the BBC.

Pogo Bitrus said there had been "sightings" of gunmen crossing with the girls into Cameroon and Chad.

Some of the girls had been forced to marry the militants, he added.

Mr Bitrus said 230 girls were missing since militants attacked the school in Chibok, Borno state, two weeks ago.


Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-27206449

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Heartbreaking, and truly vile.

My best thoughts to the poor girls; may they be brought back to safety and enabled to continue their education, and recover as far as possible from the trauma they've already endured. But I fear this will not happen.

[cosmicone]

1. Yet, no one considers the culture of misogyny and violence

as having anything to blame in this.

Has any prominent leader from said culture condemned this? Has Saudi Arabia sent money to locate the girls and bring them back? Has Qatar stopped its aid of African terrorist groups? Has UAE seized the bank accounts of Boko Haram and Al Shabab? Of course not. This is just par for the course.

[theHandpuppet]

2. +1000

[hopemountain]

3. exactly. someone asked on fb why we (americans & the world) are not

screaming more about these girls. they are our daughters, too. yet, i can find no organizations - or church groups organized in the area to bring justice and a search for the girls. i can feel the complacency from there to here on the west coast. this tells me there is much more work to do with broadening the perspectives of people to empower the women and men in the community against misogyny that is embedded in their religion, government, & culture. it is something that will not happen overnight.

[7962]

5. Which says a lot about just WHO they are. No outrage on their part.

On the flipside, an idiot sports team owner here spews some nonsense and we all rightfully condemn him for it. A minor thing compared to what has happened to these girls, but yet we still spoke out across the country.
And yet, nothing from the Islamic leaders. Rarely EVER anything from the Islamic leaders; even in this country.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. +1. nt

[LeftyMom]

9. Oh look, another islamaphobic comment from you. Shocking.

[cosmicone]

10. read the first four replies.

Was any part of my post inaccurate?

[LeftyMom]

11. Would any part of your comment sound out of place if read on FOX?

In particular the "why haven't any Muslim leaders denounced X" thing is straight out of the playbook.

[cosmicone]

12. it's a fair question is it not?

no playbook necessary.

Criticism of bad behavior is not phobia. It is what civilized people do and understand. Civilized being the key word.

[LanternWaste]

13. the answers could be easily researched acquired if one was sincerely looking for an answer

"it's a fair question is it not?"

Of which, the answers could be easily researched acquired if one was sincerely looking for an answer rather than looking to score a mere rhetorical point. Sincerity being the key word...

[riderinthestorm]

14. You know even the parents of the girls are asking this question right?

I did a google search and found that there actually is a shocking lack of global and local response. The parents are frantic.

Here's a link to one story about a rally just yesterday:

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/parents-protest-abducted-girls-2/

“Where are the human right groups in the country? Where is the Women Affairs Ministry? Is there no government in the country?"

Only the US and the UK have stepped up and offered help so far in locating the girls...

http://selahafrik.com/2014/04/28/uk-us-join-search-for-abducted-school-girls-as-parents-hang-by-a-thread/



I think pointing out the cultural and religious misogyny isn't Islamophobic. Its stating a fact and pointing out the lack of concern by other countries that have terrible records when it comes to women and girls.

[cosmicone]

15. Some people on DU have a persuasion

that anyone who points out problems with heinous acts committed under the name of the "culture of peace" is being Islamophobic. They won't do anything to solve the problems or work towards reducing violence and misogyny but would rather circle the wagons and have a "boys will be boys, don't blame the boys" kind of attitude.

[LeftishBrit]

17. Most Nigerian Muslims are strongly against what is a breakaway terrorist group

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/04/24/uk-nigeria-bokoharam-idUKBREA3N25P20140424

http://muslimsagainstterror.com/muslims-of-nigeria-denounce-and-condemn-boko-haram/

Of course denouncing them can have its risks, like getting murdered:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/02/nigeria-cleric-critical-boko-haram-killed-201422114541981119.html

[bluedigger]

4. So, anything new on that mysterious plane disappearance?

Priorities.

[JI7]

6. so these guys want an islamic state, where does it allow them to kidnap and force

themselves on the girls ?

[HeiressofBickworth]

8. But, if they are "married"

no harm, no foul. After all, it's just women (heavy sarcasm intended).

[Blue_Tires]

16. you can always justify *anything* with religion if you interpret it a certain way

"We learned that one of the 'grooms' brought his 'wife' to a neighbouring town in Cameroon and kept her there," he told the BBC.

"It's a medieval kind of slavery," he added.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau first threatened to treat captured women and girls as slaves in a video released in May 2013.

It fuelled concern at the time that the group is adhering to the ancient Islamic belief that women captured during war are slaves with whom their "masters" can have sex, correspondents say.

[riderinthestorm]

18. Morning kick and an addition of a White House petition link...

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/work-un-and-nigerian-government-bring-home-girls-kidnapped-boko-haram/fFcLj7s2

[daleo]

19. Forced to marry = raped