I wonder if he would eventually come around? A really committed Liberal would view this story in two ways: an initial view, and then an "enlightened" view:
1) No way! There's no evidence! You're making this stuff up! That's just crazy talk! It isn't happening!
2) Well, you know, cultures are different, and who are we to judge, and it's really just sex, and maybe if we allowed this in our country people wouldn't be so uptight. It's for the children. It's for the wife. It's for the ... well, let's not argue theology. I wouldn't want to be judgmental -- that would be so evil and Christian.
Still no major retractions yet. Wouldn’t surprise me if it suddenly turned out to be true, certainly not in a country that has been engaging in “virginity tests” and molesting women in that manner.