Re: girls raped and dressed up as ninjas-wake up people this is 2010
why does this still happen?
because 'we' deem culture as sacrasant over the rights of the individual. the total seems more crucial than the sum of its parts, which i believe is a survival of the species mentality. because people are so doggedly intent on survival that they'd rather join the 'protection' of the herd than form an identity based on the natural inclinations of their real natures.
when we challenge their insane ways we are seen as challenging the survival of another race, thus inviting potential attack on our own survival.
this policing (often extreme and absurd like your example) of human nature will always exist in its various forms.
it is a tragedy that individuals suffer for the apparent survival of the race. But who said life is fair?
some people do indeed speak out, and in this way change is incremental. But put simply, only a few people in this world are willing to put themselves on the line.
I have a close relationship to this culture cos my parents are from that part of the world. I know first-hand about the tragedy of the sacrificed, wasted individual mind, at the hands of when culture goes from being a protector to a saboteur. (inbreeding is a perfect example).
and those women who claim they like living inside a tent who say, 'it brings me close to god and it's my choice,' - stockholm syndrome anyone?