Pakistani Women Trapped Between Local Obscurantism and Cultural Imperialism
The Case of Zafran Bibi: Inept Lower Court and worldwide Propaganda
An Islamic Shariah appeals court in Pakistan has thrown out the conviction
of Zafran Bibi, a 26 year old woman from Chorlaki, near Kohat, who had
been sentenced to death for adultery. Between her conviction by a lower
court and her release by the appellate court, Zionist media around the
world whipped up a storm of propaganda against Islam and Islamic law
aided and abetted by Pakistan's tiny but vocal westernized elites who
never miss an opportunity to attack Pakistan's Islamic foundations.
ISLAMIC PUNISHMENTS IN AN UNISLAMIC SYSTEM?
The key point in understanding the Pakistani situation is that ISLAM DOES
NOT PERMIT IMPLEMENTATION OF ISLAMIC LAWS in an UNISLAMIC SYSTEM. The
hadood or ultimate Islamic punishments were brought in by General Ziaul
Haque whose military regime had no Islamic legitimacy and who himself was
quite ignorant of Islamic learning and laws. Now under General Musharref
the situation is much worse. This general is not only NOT Islamic but is
out to secularize and de-Islamize Pakistan. For Islamic punishments to be
available for the poor masses under such a westernized regime is the
ultimate absurdity. [Similarly the death penalty for any crime under
unIslamic rule has no legitimacy.]
IGNORANCE OF HADITH and of the PROPHET's SUPPORT FOR WOMEN's RIGHTS
Most Pakistani religious scholars do not know the Islamic punishment for
RAPE. For instance they do not know that the punishment for RAPE is not
mentioned in the Qur'an. The Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) make it very
clear that the woman's accusation of rape must be taken very seriously by
the Islamic authorities. Once such an accusation has been made, it is the
task of the government to carry out an investigation and if the evidence
is available, the RAPIST MUST BE PUT TO DEATH. The hadith do not require
four witnesses for rape testimony, nor is the woman to be harrassed for
bringing charges of rape. (SEE JAMI TIRMIDHI or the texts of hadith in my
book LIBERATION OF WOMEN THRU ISLAM.)
In modern times, medical examination and DNA testing can prove rape. In the case of ZAFRAN BIBI, DNA testing could have easily proven the case to be false.
THE PUNISHMENT FOR ADULTERY
The Qur'an provides a punishment of whipping for fornication, but the
punishment for married adulterers is stoning to death and this is given
not in the Qur'an but in the Hadith.
The "stoning for adultery" punishment is again meant for both partners in
the crime if both are married. It would be a total travesty of justice to
punish the female but not punish the male. This kind of travesty was
intended in the Zafran Bibi case. Fortunately it did not work and the
appellate court had no hesitation in throwing out the case.
The stoning to death punishment is seldom implemented. It is meant to be a
severe deterrant to open corrupion and the sexual breakdown of society.
Four witnesses are required in charges of adultery, an almost impossible
condition where society is following the general rules of decency. In case
of confession or the birth of a child through adultery (for married
people), the Prophet still attempted to be compassionate and to put off
the punishment as long as possible.
THE ZAFRAN BIBI CASE
Zafran Bibi's case also indicated that neither she nor the lower court,
nor her attorney fully understood her case. As Ansar Burney (who helps
victimized women in Pakistan) has pointed out, Zafran's husband said that
the baby was his. In other words, the charge that the baby was the result
of rape was not correct. The woman, being illiterate, was probably not
able to explain that she was bringing an accusation of rape against her
brother-in-law. SHE WAS NOT SAYING that the baby came out of intercourse
with the brother-in-law. The lower court misunderstood her and convicted
her for intercourse while being married and then let off the
brother-in-law for lack of witnesses!
THE JUDGE in the lower court had no idea that the HADITH gives preference
to the woman's accusation of RAPE and gives DEATH to the RAPIST on
evidence to be investigated and provided by the government.
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM REVVING UP THE ATTACK AGAINST ISLAM
In the United States, adultery is no big deal. Under law, adultery can at
most lead to dissolution of marriage. In fact adultery is a cherished and
romantic notion in American folklore.
RAPE again is seldom brought to court in America although it is
widespread. Rape victims say that the proceedings in court are RAPE ALL
OVER AGAIN.
For the Zionist media, striving to provide means of intervention in
Muslim societies, Islamic rules of punishment for adultery are exactly
the demonization required to condemn the Muslim world as "savage" and
"barbaric."
The Zionist rampage against Islam hooks up with the tiny westernized
elites in Pakistan who produce the daily DAWN newspaper and the corrupt
journal SHE. (A look at SHE gives the impression that perhaps Pakistan is
not a Muslim country but is a mere backwaters of Paris, London and
New York.)
The INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, which combines the New York Times with
the Washington Post, published this headline across five columns:
RAPED WOMAN IS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN PAKISTAN in its May 18-19, 2002
issue. The writer Seth Mydans, of the New York Times, probably a Jew,
wrote this sentence which could be called the NEW YORK TIMES IN ACTION
AGAINST ISLAM. It is almost funny though the writer does not seem to have
realized it. These are the words of Seth Mydans:
"Under the laws of Zina, four male witnesses, all Muslims and all
citizens of upright character, must testify to having seen a rape take
place."
So there you go: A Jewish version of Islam. So these four men would be
watching a rape take place without trying to stop it. Only a Jew could
say something so hate-filled. A Muslim with the slightest Islamic
knowledge knows that the rule is, according to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):
If you see evil, you must stop it with your hand; if you cannot, then
speak out against it....
IS THE ZAFRAN BIBI CASE TYPICAL OF PAKISTANI MALES' TREATMENT OF WOMEN?
During my last two visits to Pakistan, I started investigating the issue
of women's rights. I found that atrocities, crimes, oppression against
women do exist but the gross ones as in the case of Zafran Bibi are to be
found either in the most exploited, illiterate and poverty stricken
sections of society, from where they make it to the media, or the rape
kind of crime can exist in the upper, very rich classes where it is
usually suppressed.
Among Jamaate Islami and the Jihad movement, women play an important role,
their rights are largely safeguarded and Islamic women are standing up for
the rights of women in general. THUS THE WOMEN ARE LESS OPPRESSED AS THEY
BECOME MORE ISLAMIC. On the other hand, the Zionists want to claim that
ISLAM IS THE SOURCE OF THE OPPRESSION.
One Zafran Bibi case has taken more space in American media than all the
suffering of Islamic prisoners in American prisons, ranging from
Shaikh Omar ‘Abdel Rahman and Imam Jamil al-Amin to Ahmad Ajaj and
Ahmed ‘Abdel Sattar.
Pakistani readers should know that American prison authorities practice a
form of rape against prisoners, particularly Islamic prisoners.
Every time a prisoner has a visitor, HIS BODY CAVITIES are forcibly
"explored" by the prison guards. Dr. Omar Abdel Rahman considered this a
form of rape and, when he had the choice, refused to meet visitors.
SHOULD HUDOOD (DETERRANT) ISLAMIC PUNISHMENTS BE IMPLEMENTED?
For Muslims the answer is a clear YES. An Islamic society is very distinct
from others in that it will not tolerate fornication, adultery or rape.
On the other hand Islam makes marriage easy, permits polygamy under some
restrictions and allows child marriages if the girl's rights are
safeguarded.
Of course the YES means, UNDER AN ISLAMIC GOVERNMENT, ISLAMIC LAWS CAN BE
IMPLEMENTED. In the present circumstances, the Islamic movements should
carry out a mass campaign to educate Muslim women about their ISLAMIC
RIGHTS and DUTIES. Muslims should realize that the Western CULTURAL
OFFENSIVE is coming in from this direction.
WHY DID HUDOOD WORK UNDER TALIBAN RULE IN AFGHANISTAN?
Most readers may not remember that Mullah Umar and the Taliban picked up
weapons to establish Islamic rule when complaints of kidnapping and rape of
women were brought to them. When the Taliban took Kabul by storm, there
were a couple of days of rage in which the Taliban executed a couple of
adulterers and a rapist.(The executions were secretly photographed by
agents of a Communist group called RAWA. These photos were later used by
CNN in a "documentary" prepared by Saira Shah and RAWA to demonize the
Taliban.) As a result, through FIVE YEARS OF TALIBAN RULE, THERE WAS NOT
EVEN ONE RAPE IN MOST OF AFGHANISTAN WHICH WAS UNDER TALIBAN RULE.
Hence for Islamic laws to be effective, we need an Islamic government
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2002-06-10 Mon 10:35ct