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 think domestic violence is a social issue and has nothing to do with religion.
It is evident in 10% of US population.
The point we are missing here is possible culprit that most often leads to this behaviour by men and that is alcohol consumption.
alcohol knows no religion and acts irrespective of religious allegiance of the drinker. And in more than many cases leads to domestic violence.
There should be a drive to discourage its consumption and we should quit fighting over something that is in the court now and thus beyond our personal court.
[quote comment=”29030″]Interesting discussion. On the issue, I totally agree. Wife-bashing cannot be defended on any pretext at all. We must all condemn it everywhere.
Just did a little experiment. Interesting results.
– Word ‘Islam’ is not mentioned in the post even once. It is mentioned in the comments till now 10 times.
– Word ‘religion’ or ‘religious’ is not mentioned in the post even once. It is mentioned in the comments till now 22 times.
I wonder why?[/quote]
Easy to twist religion to support one’s own view.
[quote comment=”29010″]
Islam is brought into the fold because so many Pakistanis (and muslims in general) cannot think outside of the box of religion.[/quote]
Actually, if they did think inside that “box,” they would no better to support such abuses, etc. It is precisely because they have no clue about their own religion that they engage in and voice support for such activities. And then we have our pseudo-educated elite coming and saying that this is 2007 and that we should not be confined to the “box” of religion.
The sad truth is that in Pakistan, what we call religion is really mostly culture that has been with us for a long, long time. I mean, some people actually have their own versions of the caste system (obviously derived from Hinduism, etc) and claim to have religious proof to back it up…when they can say things that are that absurd, there is really nothing that you cannot expect from them.
There is no excuse for Moin’s behavior. Violent assault on another human, be it one’s own wife, child, or parent, is inhuman, illegal, and yes, un-Islamic. If these allegations against Mr. Khan are true, he must be made into an example.
Interesting discussion. On the issue, I totally agree. Wife-bashing cannot be defended on any pretext at all. We must all condemn it everywhere.
Just did a little experiment. Interesting results.
– Word ‘Islam’ is not mentioned in the post even once. It is mentioned in the comments till now 10 times.
– Word ‘religion’ or ‘religious’ is not mentioned in the post even once. It is mentioned in the comments till now 22 times.
I wonder why?