Kabul: A video of an Afghan parliamentarian purportedly threatening to cut off a reporter's nose after she asked his views on marital rape has gone viral and has sparked angry reaction on social media
VICE reporter Isobel Yeung is seen questioning Afghan lawmaker Nazir Ahmad Hanafi about his opposition to the Elimination of Violence Against Women Act.
The clip, which has been retweeted more than 4 000 times since it was posted by the VICE website on Saturday, highlights the parlous state of women's rights more than 14 years after the fall of the hardline Taliban.
“What if a husband rapes his wife, is that domestic abuse? Should the man be punished or should the woman be punished for that, in your opinion?” she asks Hanafi.
“There is a kind of rape you have and another we have in Islam,” he replies. Yeung attempts to press on with another question but is cut off by Hanafi, who tells her: “I think you should stop it now.”
Hanafi is then seen turning in another direction and says: “Maybe I should give you to an Afghan man to cut your nose off.”
The clip has drawn widespread condemnation after it went viral on social media.
He represents the western city of Herat and is also an Islamic scholar who lectures at various universities and madrassas.
Anti-rape law was submitted to parliament in 2009 but has yet to be passed due to strong resistance from MPs.
Afghanistan is one of the many countries where rape is not defined simply as non-consensual sexual acts.
