That is just sick.

The European Union said in a statement that it welcomed her release.

Goodie. Just what every woman wants, to be free to marry the man who raped and impregnated her, or else spend her life in prison. Glad to know the EU sees this as a good thing.

Hundreds of Afghan women are serving jail sentences in similar circumstances.

But they weren't featured in a documentary, and therefore are not as worthy of petitions for their release.

Women's groups, however, say the gains of the last decade are threatened by the government's attempts to negotiate a peace settlement with the Taliban

Yep, we should definitely be worrying about losses, rather than attempting to continue to make gains.

As a secular person, I would ask that you take caution with over overgeneralization. While you may or may not have complete views on Islam itself, the dramatic difference among muslim countries and women's suffrage, for example can be seen here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_first_women%27s_suffrage_in_majority-Muslim_countries

There is no doubt major, egregious human rights violations happen every day in Afghanistan, and they are certainly not limited to abuses of women. Children, common citizens, military, and families are all victims of the tribal, stone age mentalities that persist. Women's rights are a very important issue, but it's not necessarily an Islamic problem. Studying women's role in islam is a very complex subject that requires deeper study than blanket statements can explain.

I find it very difficult, actually impossible, to think that deeper study of islam is required to justify rape. Blanket statements about rape are not meant to explain islam.

Well, it is nice to see that 10 years of blood and treasure spent in Afghanistan is starting to pay off.

It's not 'over-generalization' when it's the rule, not the exception.

And we're still over there protecting these miserable savages. How come? Let them fight the Taliban.

Hello Amy,

Nevermind Afghanistan. Consider Oslo, Norway: http://tinyurl.com/6wre49k

I remember 12 years ago debating a feminist who equated all men to the Taliban and especially Western men as she celebrated new jobs programs to discriminate against us. Now, times have changed or perhaps taken to their logical, or illogical extreme. The new darling of the left is radical Islam. They want to build a celebratory Mosque at Ground Zero.