Adil Najam
Back in July, ATP had posted a picture of former world squash champion Jansher Khan being hauled away in a police van on charges of trespass and violent attack on a woman. Now, Moin Khan, former cricket captain and wicketkeeper, has joined Jansher in the Hall of Disgrace for beating his wife.
Shame on you, both of you. You may once have been stars. You are stars no more. And, Moin, even if you have been freed on bail, that does not absolve you in our eyes for maltreating your wife. No Sir. This is not a private matter between man and wife. This is a matter of national disgrace. But my anger at this incident is making me run ahead of the story.
So, first the news as reported in the Daily Times (17 January, 2006):
KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan was arrested by the Darakhshan police late Monday night after his wife Tasleem alias Shama Seher made a phone call to Madadgar 15, complaining that he had beaten her.
According to Town Police Officer (TPO) ASP Azad Khan, the police received a phone call from Seher after midnight. A police team visiting the house found Seher standing outside and Moin Khan screaming at her from within. After a struggle, Moin Khan was taken in preventive detention under Section 151 of the CrPC, the TPO said. The couple was taken to the Darakhshan police station from where Moin was taken to JPMC for a medical examination. Seher was also taken to JPMC for a medical examination later on.
“If injuries are reported by the doctors examining her or a blood test confirms that he was intoxicated, the law will take its course,” said the TPO. Darakhshan SHO Inspector Zia Rizvi told Daily Times that this was a domestic matter, “but we brought it on to the court record”. Moin was produced in a local court and was granted bail. Seher told Daily Times that Moin had been disturbed for three days. “This isn’t something new, its been like this for a while,” she added. “He accused me of being involved with his friends. I asked why he was beating me and he told me that he hated the look of my face. He said, “Tum apnay gireban me jhanko, apni shakal dekho, apna character dekho” … There’s no special reason. Things were normal but I don’t know what had happened as recently he started to get harsh after drinking. I think that Moin still thinks of himself as a young star, Seher, a showbiz person herself, said. “Cricketers have the same life … (Another Karachi cricketers) wife recently separated and got custody of the children. Complaints remain as (many) cricketers treat their wives like this. Woh apnay beewiyon ke sath is tarha ka rawaiya rakhtay hain … Is tarha kay rawaiye mein kon sath reh sakta he? The problem with (some) cricketers is that they are getting better options outside the house. Unhain ghar ki murghi daal barabar lagti he.”
Both Moin Khan and the police seem to say that this is a ‘personal’ or ‘domestic’ matter. No, it really is not. It is a social matter. A national matter.
This case catches our attention because the man is a former cricket star and the wife a former TV personality. But the story here is repeated every day and goes unnoticed and unreported. His intoxication obviously made matters worse, but the malady here is deeper than alcoholism. It is the way women are treated. The Jansher case was one example, but there have been many others that we have raised here on ATP. Wife-beating is a serious social sin and the sinners here are not only those who do so, it is also those who condone it in the name of tradition or because it is a ‘personal matter’, and it is also those of see it happening and choose to remain quiet.
Salamalikum,
Let’s try this again. I ran into some errors.
[quote post=”529″]Yet, you believe in an Islam that believes women are inherently weaker, stupider, not fit for leadership.[/quote]
It’s not my opinion. This is Islam and if you want I can provide you with authentic ahadeeth as well. And, I’m not ashamed of this deen. I didn’t say women are “stupider” compared to men. It’s best if you not put words in my mouth.
[quote post=”529″]Did you know that the word “darabaâ€Â? in that verse is also interpreted to mean “separateâ€Â? rather than “beatâ€Â?? Allah’s word is perfect, but man’s interpretation is not[/quote]
Ah, I knew this will come up. This playing with the word has only come up recently. All throughout the history nobody thought daraba meant something else. This includes the sahabah, the ta’been and ta’ba ta’been (the first and best generations). Now, I am not adovacating beating wives or dominating women. I am talking about what Islam says–it’s not an interpretation. Secondly, as I have said above already, this matter is a last resort and you should have done other things as mentioned in the ayah. And, most of the Muslims today don’t follow the shariah correctly that they will be entitled to using the last resort. I agree many men beat women and use Islam as an excuse when they can’t because they didn’t follow the rules properly. But, and this my main point here, Allah allows this, and I’m just highlighting what’s in Quran. And Allah knows best.
[quote post=”529″]Ibrahim, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at your comments. I guess first I should stop being so “audaciousâ€Â? before the almighty strikes me with his wrath.[/quote]
You should cry!
Eidee Man,
My apologies. Yes, men who happen to be Muslim rather than Muslim men is a better way to put it. I am surrounded by Muslim men who do not share Ibrahim’s views, alhumdullilah, so I know all Muslim men dont all hold these beliefs. Language is a slippery thing, and I must be more careful next time.
G.A, i think what brother Ibrahim was trying to say is that since islam is so good (best of religions, hadayat for all man kind , for all ages) and from devine source hence there is no way you can question any part of it - you have to take whole package and live with it. No one is forcing you - oh i am sorry actually muslims cannot leave islam in pursuit of happiness…they gonna kill you…anyways, here is another greatness of islam - nonmuslim male pakistanies are not priviliged to beat their wives but muslim males are … they can always go to Shariyat Court and prove their act of wife-beating as an Sharii Faail.
here is an idea for Isshatay islam - in all those socities where males do not have devine right to beat their wives, we can bring them in halqay-i-islam to enjoy this benefit - beat your wife without fear of any consequencies and you may also qualify for some added Sowab for eliminting Fahashi from the society and taking care of your sheeps oh sorry cows in this case.
Wife beating is just one of many ways in which men everywhere in world abuse and sexually exploit women.
[quote comment=”29180″][quote post=”529″]Some people still want to admire Moin Khan for his cricket days even after this incident[/quote]
What’s wrong in that? and what’s the relation of his dynamic professional career with his personal life? Relating professional skills with personal life is as lame as associating moin’s invidual act with a religion.[/quote]
Is it his personal life? What if he had murdered his wife? Would that still be counted as something happening in his personal life? Is it the degree of the harm that he inflicts on his wife that defines whether it is personal or not? Assault on another human being is a crime, it’s not just a ‘personal’ issue - it become a matter for the courts and thence a public affair.
Ibrahim, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at your comments. I guess first I should stop being so “audacious� before the almighty strikes me with his wrath. The weekend is here and I really don’t want to be showered with fire and brimstone, a flood could get sort of messy as well. But I just wanted to highlight some of the absurdities of your thoughts anyways, because it’s so amusing:
“Chyna has a low intelligence level because no dignified person would act like her.�
LOL. I don’t know how else to respond to that because I don’t even know what you mean but it sounds ridiculous and funny.
“It is common knowledge, East or West, that in general women are emotionally and physically weaker. There are billions of examples of this.�
This is an idiotic point that cannot be proven. It is sad and scary to see that people in the world still think like that.
“Do Muslims who believe in this distinction between men and women not respect their mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, etc.? Of course, they do. In fact, if they are true good Muslims, they will show utmost respect to them and have compassion for them while still believing in the verse of Surah an-Nisaa.�
I don’t know how someone can still truly respect a woman if they actually believe that she is weaker and needs to be beaten every now and then. Even if men “show respect to them and have compassion� it doesn’t give them the right to hit them. Finally, even this mentality of “have compassion� stinks of sexism. Urghh….I could go on but what’s the point.
“In fact, why don’t you go to Adnan Siddiqi’s blog and read an article by Sara Booker who reverted to Islam and pay close attention to how she talks about her husband and advices other women. If this “logic� is so out of place and backward and old, then why did a Western, non-Muslim WOMEN decide to adopt it?�
Now that I have been enlightened by visiting Adnan Siddiqi’s blog, What does this have to do with beating a woman and why should I care if some “Western� woman decided to wear a hijab and convert to Islam? She had her reasons and I didn’t see her mention that getting beaten was one of them. By the way, I personally know “Western� women who have converted to Islam so this wasn’t some sort of a surprise. How is a “Western� woman converting to Islam some sort of a decisive factor for its legitimacy anyways?
Excuse me for being audacious once again. Since according to you, I don’t even know if when I die, Allah will even bother to answer my question about his logic, I choose to use my own rationality and question his logic.
I am not going to bother with this debate anymore. There are better things to do than debate against blind faith.
“Yet, you believe in an Islam that believes women are inherently weaker, stupider, not fit for leadership. This contradiction dumbfounds me, though I suspect its very very common among Musim men.”
Men who happen to be Muslim rather than Muslim men is a better way of putting it. Collective guilt is a bad thing…please dont include us all in that group.
Rightaous Ibhrahim I am shocked at your comparisions, there are so many women who you left out, may be just your ignorance. Margaret Thatcher(leader), Indra K. Nooyi(ceo), Condi(politician)just to name a few there are many painters,poets, socialist and ofcourse writers.
Behind and before every successfull man there is a women, and if the women is week then there is no sucessfull man i guess.
Women are not week and when you are defending GODS logic then why not ask you since we don’t know that we are ever gonna meet GOD (suppose i am atheist) then?
Why no rabbi,pope…we are not comparing islam with other religions or US. The point is why your think women weeker then men? Why is the mantle of leadership given to men? And ofcourse Benazir(Pinky) was not less competent then Nawaz(sher).
Woman represents different qualities of a being-
she is beautiful,is vulnerable,is emotional,is sensitive, is bold, is selfless, is tender and loving,is wild, is witty and is everything.
Men???
Oh boy! I sound like a libber.