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.
I completely agree with Adnan, Moin is not God, he is a human being just like me & u. He is still my hero.
But, the fact is that, we r just viewing, the one side of coin. If a hero is a public property, then it should be check that allegation of drinking has proven or not through legal medical examination. The question also raised why he beaten his wife, what she did or argue after which Moin become aggressive. After all he is KHAN :)
Shame on you for judging him before even the medical reports are out. For all you know he might not have been drunk. For all you know he might not have actually physically harmed her. For all you know his accusations against his wife might be true; in which case even the Quran gives him the right to beat up his wife as a last resort (according to most interpretations).
Even if the final verdict comes out against him, you have jumped the gun my friend.
@Adnan: You write “I don’t care how he leads his personal life. Shane Warne was involved in a sex scandal but he’s still an Australian cricket star and people love him. Many of us still love Imran khan despite of his old playboy image.”
You shouldn’t equate wife-beating with sex scandals/affairs – as if the two things were one and the same. Imran Khan and Shane Warne were never accused of violence against women.
But in any case, Adil there are always two sides to the story. Let’s not be quick to pass judgment. Moin Khan only stands accused, not convicted.
Well actually there are more serious things in life than highlighting a man-beating-wife scenario. While I totally agree that a man shouldn’t beat or abuse his wife unless she has gone against the rules of shariah (and that too after warnings), I do not think people can learn anything from publishing a domestic quarrel. Please do not make ATP a tabloid.
Also, why not look at other side of the story. What is Moin’s statement on this?
Mansoor where in my post am I defending his wife beating act? What I am saying that highliting only moin khan just because he’s a star doesn’t help us to hide our own sins. This is my whole point. We shouldn’t expect much from others. Nobody is perfect, he’s well-known for his cricket not for his personal life.
[quote post=”529″]The fact that he’s looked upto, makes it okay for a lot of people to mimic the way he is in real life too[/quote]
I hope you are not comparing Moin khan with that character “Ram Janay” of Indian movie?;)
As I said tht we shouldn’t blame others for our own ignorance to deal different things in life. I wouldn’t sound sane if I beat my wife by giving justification that moin also did that with his wife.
Sufi, Cynthia Khan is not violent with ladies :>