Adil Najam
This is a VERY DISTURBING video. Please view at your own discretion.
It is important, however, that we speak about and shout out about this video.
It shows a 17-year old girl being flogged by a Taliban leader of some sort in a perverted form of justice. Reportedly the incident happened in Kalakalay, Swat around 3 months ago (before the supposed peace deal with the government). The girl is being ‘punished’ for going somewhere without a male relative. Supposedly, the male companion was also flogged.
This video is also be discussed vigorously at Pakistaniat’s new Facebook page. Some of that disussion does not carry over here, although we hope it ultimately will.
In more recent developments, supposedly Sufi Mohammad in Swat has condemned the act and said this was not Baitullah’s Taliban. More importantly, the recent reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has taken su moto notice of this incident. According to The News
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Friday took a suo motu notice of the media footage in which a 17 year old girl is being whipped out in the broad daylight in Swat. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhdy ordered the matter to be presented before a larger bench on April 6. He also summoned Secretary Interior, IG and Chief Secretary on April 6. He ordered formation of 8-member larger bench to be headed by himself.
This is a story that all Pakistanis and all Muslims must speak about and speak against. There are those who will try to make this a story about what Pakistan or Islam is. Such bigoted approaches are to be resisted. This is not a story about what Pakistan is. This is clearly not about what Islam is. This is a story about what the enemies of Islam and enemies of Pakistan are doing. This is a story about what Pakistan must not allowed to become. The bad news is obvious in the video itself. The bad news is about the criminality being conducted in the name of religion. The good news is that the media, the judiciary and ordinary Pakistanis ARE speaking up and speaking out. We must do more so. For if we do not speak out against this criminality, who will?
I don’t know how muslim world existed before 1977 , I don’t know how muslim countries other than Pakistan, Afghanistan, KSA and few others , exist now. Since I was born in 70’s , got my school, college education in 80’s and 90’s , here is how my brain had been hard-wired to believe in the following:
1. All the girls who shake hands with “na-mahrem” are “be-haya” and “be-sharam”… I live in Europe , my wife usually will shake hands with “na-mahrems” , although I won’t have any objections to her but somewhere in my mind I’ll have this “be-haya” and “be-sharam” thingee , I remember when I was 15-16 year old , most of my elders one generation above will talk about how General Zia’s wife might have shook hands with American President…. and they would condemn him of being hypocrite because he preached Islam, but his wife “will shake hands with ‘na-mahrem’ ” which is against Islam.
2. I am programmed to believe that all girls/women who wear half-sleeves shirts with jeans and do not take “do-patta” are shameless creatures… when I was in university in Pakistan it was in fact considered “OK” to tease (sorry for bad translation the urdu word we used was “chaiRna”) them, since there was a question mark on such girl’s character.
3. Even though spending a whole decade in West and working with “Kuffar” , every time I shake hand with a lady , I am hesitant somewhere in my mind or heart.
4. During my teens I was always told and taught by my elders “Islam is the way of life” , Saudi is still considered by my parents and my elders (one generation above me) as the heaven on earth. But when I went to Saudi to work there few years back I ran from there with my family when someone told me “if Matuawwa found that my wife is going alone with a na-mahrem, they would hand out lashes to my wife. I was also told that if a women is raped by a rapist usually both rapists and women will be meted out punishment as it would be very hard for the women to prove that she was not willing partner in the rap. Remember punishment could be anything from lashes to “stone to death”….
5. Few years back in 90’s , BB (Benazir) once talked about “barbaric” punishments , there was big hue and cry about them. I also felt disgusted that how BB can describe “Islamic” punishments as “barbaric” , the religion that is “complete way of life”…
6. I know why I am finding it hard like many others to say that handing out lashes to a young girl is “barbaric” however just like I have an internal hesitance when shaking hands with a lady but I still do, I would condemn this act as barbaric and inhuman and consider it unislamic and against the teachings of Islam, but I do believe in “Second Aya” of “Sura Noor” , I do believe in Quran and Islam as Complete way of life … but I would say this act was un-islamic.
Let me quote the most liberal of “Islamic scholars” who is considered by many other of his compatriots as “kafir”, however you would understand my dilemma when even the most “liberal” scholar of Islam find it hard to “condemn” this act.
It is the ninth letter to “Tahira”
http://www.tolueislam.com/Urdu/tkn/tkn.htm
about “Parda kay mutalliq” , I shall try to translate it in English.
At page 116 in “Tahira kay naam khatoot” , Mr. Ghulam Ahmed Pervez states that:
Please excuse my bad translation.
Our the last couple of day I have several blogs , watched a lot of tv talk shows , listened to the scholars and I feel sorry for Adil Najam who said
Because for some enemies of Islam are the “Taliban” who meted out punishment to the poor girl and for others enemies of Islam are the one who “released” this video and using this video to prove Islam as “Barbaric” religion :)….
Would Adil Najam help me which enemies of Islam he is talking about?
Any protest for this poor chap? Or he would be ignored because he is a “Man” and usually we are so “soft” with our ladies that we even do not mention that that there was no video published of the guy who was also flogged along with the girl. *grin*
http://tinyurl.com/pakistanius
It would be interesting to see that whether Adil Najam and Co finds it “disturbing” and register their protest against it on the blog and on other places.
Shia women would be banned from working or receiving an education without their husbands’ permission”
Neena, I did not get your point. Are you saying that a wife MUST NOT take permission from her husband? first of all it’s according to Islam that a husband’s consent is required. If you don’t know it then I just enlightened you and if you refuse it then you should be brave enough to say that you don;t accept this Islamic rule. Yes Husbands should NOT abuse this power to cage a woman and should realize the ground realities as well but ..what’s so illogical about that you are shocked?
In Islam a Husband is guardian of the family and have more responsibility on him than a wife. Being a guardian it’s not illogical in society to ask permission. Are you saying that you kids don;t ask your permission while they go out? and if they do.. don;t you feel bad? Are you saying that you can sit at home without taking permission from your boss.. after all you are free to do it? Just like you are guardian of your kids,your boss(owner) is guardian of your company, similarly the husband is the guardian of his wife but let me add that Islam also says that A wife is not responsible to take permission from husband’s parents and not answerable to them anyway. Similarly wife does not need to serve them just because they are parents of her husband.. I wonder how many of us actually know about it? did you know? Those enlightened souls who have been pumped up here for few days, I am sure they would have expected similar things from their wives without realizing that it’s not her right.
The biggest problem with feminists cult is that they hardly make sense to prove their point of view. At one side they reject a single man,”the husband” or ‘the brother” but get ready to become a toy for several others man. Sometimes in the name of freedom while others time to express hatred against men while they usually forget that their Bossses are also men and the men who are enjoying them by exposing them in the name of Fashion and modeling are also men. Trust me! men are way smarter than imaginations of the women. They easily fool women and women feel proud of it!
Awesome Danish.!!
Talibans and right wing zealots call everyone Kaafir who does not believe in their ideology hence they are condemn by others but now here I see that so called intellectuals chanting”Kaafir” for those who don’t agree with their ideology. My darling friend Mufti D_a_n just labeled me a Kaafir because I don’t agree with his belief(which he considers Islam). Amazing
You proved my point that anti-Taliban people are not lesser fascists and hypocrite than right wing zealots. The only difference is that you guys wear jeans and designer suits and right wing zealots don’t. They eat Naswar while you enjoy Red Label. This is the reason I never take you guys credible enough to discuss something serious. How one fascist group can condemn others? it’s like one dacoit condemns other.
Adil, IFaqeer and Raza Rumi, as I always say you guys that you guys should work hard to clean up the filth exist in your own community(The anti-Talibans). Making such posts might create traffic for a while(couldn’t be it done by publishing porn too if traffic is the only objective?) but can’t bring improvement among your own people. Bring reforms in your own groups, disown the fascists and extremist elements in your society and I will the first one to support you. Try it once, just try! it will not make you feel low at all… If can’t then don’t assume others to give you respect and consider credible. This site could play a vital role to initiate an operation cleanup in liberal groups and could make things better but.. seems it’s tough ask, doesn’t it?
i agree with danish’s comment wholeheartedly.i m disgusted and saddened by the shameful defense of atrocities of the religious fundamentalists by mushtaq minhas on bolta pakistan.The whole media is full of apologists and supporters of the taliban.they deflect any attempt to criticise the atrocities by bringing up drones and afghanistan.they are very influential in building up support in the public at large as objective media outlets like dawn and daily times have very limited reach as compared to the millions of illeterates who r glued to their tv screens and get their opinions shaped by these rightwings tv anchors.ATP should do an article of the effect of these tv anchors on building up support for the fanatics by presenting them as true muslims.
Someone used the phrase KAFIR TALIBAN somewhere. I think we should just make a rule to always use that. Not only for the Taleban but also for all their supporters and apologists here and even more on the Pakistaniat’s facebook space.
I REALLY THINK WE TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT ISLAM. If half the people here talked half as much about Islam as they do and practiced even a fraction of it, we woudl all be better off.
“feel them one way or other” should be read as “feed them one way or other”