Expert: Jamshaid Zubairee - 3/29/2008

Question
What is the punishment for rape in Christianity and in Islam?

Answer
Hi toby
Christians follow the laws of the Bible only.  All of their religious sources, laws and verdicts come straight from the Bible (if we were to have true Christian countries where Church would rule over the State), except for Roman Catholics where they have other Volumes written by Church Fathers and Popes.  But most Christians in the world have no religious resources other than the Bible.

Therefore, let us look at what the Bible says regarding this issue:

Rape is a big crime that could actually take the woman's or the victim's life away.  Let us examine how Christianity deals with the rapist: "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver.  He must marry the girl, for he has violated her.  He can never divorce her as long as he lives.  (From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 22:28)" Although this Verse from the Bible only talks about virgins, but its the only verse in the entire Bible that talks about raping single women.  Not to be biased or anything, but the Bible seems to have quite weird things in it that are quite irrational and quite ridiculous.  Deuteronomy 22:28 forces the raped woman to marry her rapist.  My question to the writers of the Bible is why in the world would any raped female victim want to be in the same town, not the same bedroom !! with her rapist?.   

Also, the Bible seems to promote raping of single women: "But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die.  (From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 22:25)"  This is quite an interesting verse.  We see in Deuteronomy 22:28 that if a man rapes a single woman then she will be forced to be his wife, while if a man rapes a married woman or a woman who is spoken for, in Deuteronomy 22:25, then he shall be put to death.  There is absolutely no punishment for the rapist of a single woman in the Bible.  For those Christians who think that they don't have to follow the Old Testament, well my answer to them is this:  The Old Testament prohibits for the brother to marry his sister, or for the son to marry his mother.   The New Testament doesn't even talk about it.  Does that mean that a Christian brother can marry his sister? or a Christian son can marry his mother?

Question to Jews and Christians:   How is the Bible supposed to prevent some loser from stalking the most beautiful single woman in town, rape her, and then sue her in court to become his wife so he can continue raping her for the rest of her life?!