Ever since Adam told Eve that he had mad skills as a snake charmer, men have been lying to women to get into their pants.
“Baby, I can rock your world.”
Earlier this week, I listened in horror to a Democracy Now podcast as the correspondent spoke of a trial that had just concluded in an Israeli court. A Palestinian man stood accused of lying to a woman.
The charge was rape by deception.
In 2008, a Palestinian man, Sabbar Kashur, met an Israeli woman and led her to believe that he was an Israeli bachelor. They had consensual relations that evening. Later, she learned that he had lied about both being single and being Israeli, so she filed a complaint.
Apparently, being coaxed into bed under false pretense is a very serious crime in Israel – especially if the accused is a Palestinian.
On Monday, he was sentenced to eighteen months in jail.
Those in agreement with the verdict don’t see Kashur’s offense as an indiscretion, rather they view his actions as an unambiguous example of a crime. One such person is Merav Mor, a director of resource development at the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. During an interview on Al Jezeera, she summed it up this way:
“If a woman or a man feels that they were given wrong information, they were raped.”
I don’t buy that.
She was pissed off. I get it. No one wants to be lied to. What I don’t get is how a good idea – protecting women from abuse – can be contorted into this assault on sensibility. Were this to become the prevailing sentiment here in the America, our jails would be “standing room only” with men and women who have embellished, red lined, or completely fabricated their social resumes.
It is possible that this charge and verdict were not based on the respective nationalities of the complainant and defendant, as alleged by Ms. Mor, yet the overly expansive definition of rape that was used in this case strains credulity.
Where does it end?
He claims to be an executive, but he’s really a file clerk.
String ‘em up, it’ll teach him a lesson.
She’s uses Botox or wears a girdle.
String her up, it’ll teach her a lesson.
He tells her that he is the “best”.
Well, we can’t string him up for making that claim because, if we did, men would soon be extinct.
I’m not making light of real abuse. Victims ought to be protected. But this verdict is a clear overreach in that Kashur is now a sex offender, and will forever be viewed no differently than a child molester in the eyes of the law.
That can’t be right.
Some may think me misogynistic for taking this view, but followed to its logical conclusion, rapping would be outlawed and little white lies would morph into felonies.
So Players, beware.
When you step up to the pretty woman sitting at the bar, you may be doing so at your own risk.
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What do you think of this verdict?
Ray } – 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
So, according to the verdict, lying is a crime. Not only that, lying about your marital status and then taking a willing woman to bed, is rape. No it’s not. The verdict is way off base. It also takes away from the real victims of rape. Yes, the woman was very angry she was lied to. I get that. But, who told her she had to go to bed with this man in the first place? Did she know him? Did she even try to get to know him before bedding him? It doesn’t appear so. For this complaint to have been tried is a travesty of justice. It angers me. Now I wish they would try and convict the woman for being stupid and irresponsible. I mean if lying is a crime, so then stupidity must follow.
What do I think of this verdict and all it’s consequences? I think it’s appalling.
Hi SurprisedMom, While It’s common for me to be perplexed by the outcome of some trials, this one was a real logic buster, for many of the reasons that you’ve listed. With the reported increases in cases of real date rape, this verdict diminishes the accusations of actual victims. Many young men do not take the crime of date rape seriously already, and this decision does not help raise awareness at all.
The woman in the video was advocating her view and promoting her agenda, so I don’t fault her for that, but there was something about the unwavering certitude with which she stated her case that sent a shiver up my spine. She seemed to recognize no gray area, no mitigating circumstances, and no personal responsibility on the part of the “victim”. Most of all, she exhibited a total lack of common sense and a dizzying naivete of the ways of the world.
Making “stupid” a chargeable offense doesn’t seem like much of a stretch anymore, in light of the outcome of this case. Ray
I like SurprisedMom’s suggestion of charging the woman with being irresponsible and stupid. Because she is both. The woman in the story, not SurprisedMom! It’s unfortunate that people get away with this type of behavior. It happens here in America too. Lawsuit happy people who sue the person they were trying to rob because the thief fell and broke his leg. Or was that just an Al Yankovic song? I did read a story about a woman whose husband was abusive. She wanted to do something about it but what could she do when he was a cop with cop friends who sided with him? I think he ended up killing her. Nice.
Hi Tristan,
Yes, it would be great to implement SurprisedMom’s suggestion, if only once. The articles that I have read on this case also pointed out that the man has already spent two years under house arrest while awaiting this trial. It’s truly unbelievable! What I haven’t learned is if she will move forward to civil court, now that the criminal allegation has been adjudicated. This could become a more farcical story than it already is.
Frivolous lawsuits wouldn’t bother me as much as they do except that those who bring them sometimes win. Court time wasted to have them dismissed is a problem, but as long as there’s a chance of success, those types of suits will just keep on coming. Oy! Ray