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 hope that civil society will keep pushing on this issue as they did with the rallier in Lahore and Karachi and also that blogs like this will not let the pressure off. That way, maybe, the chief justice will also be forced to make a big issue of this and bring this to teh court system.
I think it is time to seriously discuss separating religion from the. This whole Shariah thing has been highjacked by these idiots and makes no sense at all. I want decent honest government and certainly not these killers as teh thekedars of shariah.
Listening to this Taliban spokesman is frightening. So, these are the people we should be trusting our future in.
We should haul this guy to court.
Shocking.. How can a society develop if it treats women like this. If it is justifid in the name of a religion then these people need their heads cleaned.
It is time for the Islamc countries & society to come out of such barbaric, hardcore and blind religious beliefs.
Bottom line: people should learn to respect others beliefs as well and reflect on whether these are the things their religious founders intended!!
No point in threatening people about going to some hell hen we are dead because we have not followed someone’s view or writings.. there can’t be a worst place to live than under the rule of such people.
After reading all the comments here I am surprised that such things do hapen in Saudi and rest of the world is getting on with it.
@ Adnan Siddiqui…
Dear man…I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to embrace Islam….right now….right this very minute….please ….please man…do us all a favour….
embrace Islam….!