Review of The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009) by Amit N — 09 Oct 2010

The Islamic practice of stoning women and the Christian practice of burning them as witches are both born not from religious reasons but of a male desire to repress women and define them in terms of sexuality.This is one of the most skewed against women, and the one most convenient for men.

To be sure, no witches have been burned at the stake in many long years. But women are still stoned to death in some Islamic countries, including Iran, where â??The Stoning of Soraya M.â?? is set. The practice survives in backward rural areas, and the law turns a blind eye. It is rare, and Iran denies it, but the French journalist Freidoune Sahebjamâ??s best-selling The Stoning of Soraya M. (1994) appears to be quite reliable. A woman really was stoned to death on adultery charges, brought for the convenience of her husband, who desired to marry a 14 year old girl.

Overall, the movie is quite disturbing ,mainly,The stoning sequence itself is one of the most unbearable experiences I have had at the movies. I learn it lasts nearly 20 minutes. Soraya (Mozhan Marno) is buried in a hole up to the waist. Village boys collect stones of a good throwing weight in a wheelbarrow. We see blow after blow, as blood pours from her face and body. She accepts this as her fate, as indeed it is. She did nothing that was not innocent and kind.

The actual message in this disturbing Movie is that if a religion requires practices that seem evil to its members, they should resign from that religion. If it condones a death penalty that is visited unequally on members of a specific gender, race or class, it is immoral. There cannot be a reward for following it blindly, because only a thoughtful choice has meaning.