Pakistani Hardliners- New Law Protecting Women Is Un-Islamic

Pakistan isn't like Afghanistan. And it's a tad more progressive than say, Iran or Saudi Arabia when it comes to its women folk. There are no religious police out on the streets making sure women are covered. Unlike Saudi Arabia, they can drive. Universities are not segregated. Heck, they even elected a female Prime Minister. Twice. Although Benazir Bhutto was eventually assassinated she served two terms from 1984 through 1993. Of course, that was back then when Muslims weren't quite so fanatical and hardline as they are today. But although their legal system is rooted in British common law, the Penal Code often adheres to Islamic Shariah law and many of its barbaric practises, including death for apostasy and blasphemy. Any attempts to change the more radical Islamic laws, like Blasphemy and child marriage laws are met with major resistance, and often violence from a slew of religious hardliners.

The latest child marriage law ban never came to fruition because of opposition from the hardliners who actually want girls as young as nine to be eligible to marry, as per Shariah law.  And now, they want a new law protecting women to go bye-bye. There's a lot of domestic abuse within the Islamic nuclear family, so that's not surprising.

More than 35 religious parties and groups in Pakistan have come together to call on the government retract a new law in the country's largest province of Punjab that protects women from abuse. Claiming that the law is unIslamic, they accuse the law of being part of the West's agenda to destroy the family system in Pakistan.

The Women's Protection Act was passed by Punjab in February to protect women from domestic, psychological and sexual violence. It also calls for the setting up of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line, women's shelters and district-level panels to investigate reports of abuse. The new law also mandates the use of GPS bracelets to keep track of offenders.

The law however seems to have fallen foul of the mainly conservative clerics and religious leaders. They have said it is in conflict with both the Koran and the Pakistan constitution.

"This controversial law to protect women was promulgated to accomplish the West's agenda to destroy the family system in Pakistan," reads the joint declaration from the conference comprising the religious parties and groups. "This act ... is redundant and would add to the miseries of women."

[snip]

Pakistan Today said the Council of Islamic Ideology, a Pakistani religious body that advises the government on the compatibility of laws with Islam has declared the Women's Protection Act as un-Islamic. On 14 March, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam, the country's largest religious party, claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had promised to address the reservations of the religious parties.

The rest here.

Most Women Edited Out Of Halal Version Of "Happy British Muslims"

The Honesty Policy decided to put together a video to show just how happy British Muslims are. So they filmed a panoply of British Muslims- young, old, males, females with and without head covering- dancing to Pharrell Williams popular song Happy.

The response has been, as expected, both positive and negative. The usual suspects are condemning it for the usual reasons, including the use of adult females.

While its supporters applaud the diverse array of Muslims featured and simple, positive message of happiness, its detractors have an array of complaints that range from the depiction of co-ed dancing to the use of a pop song, Pharrell Williams' "Happy."

Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf believes those trying to show "happy" Muslims are the polar opposite of terrorist/extremists.

So, someone put together a halal version with all the females edited out. The few left in the video are kids. None of the unveiled women are featured.




But many Muslims are just as outraged by this new version.

The original video featured a variety of well-known British Muslims, with scholars like Cambridge University lecturer Sheik Abdul Hakim Murad and Radical Middleway scholar Fuad Nahdi, as well as hip-hop artist Tanya Muneera Williams and journalist and academic Myriam Cerrah.

Cerrah told The Huffington Post via email, "This new video reflects the persistent attempts by a small but vocal band of misogynistic muslims who believe women have no place in the public sphere, to literally erase women from history. Despite what they may think, they're the real embarrassment to our faith." She emphasized that The Honesty Policy has nothing to do with the censored video.

It's always something.

Women Have Half The Brain Function As Men- Claims Saudi Scholar Al Arifi

Sheikh Muhammad al-Arifi is a famous Saudi scholar and professor at King Saud University. He has a Twitter following of 7 million. In a video on YouTube he explains why Allah (in the Quran) requires the need for two women to testify versus the testimony of one man.  Because, apparently, we have half the brain function as men:

".... the man has a gland in his head that allows him to do two things: Remember, and talk-- at the same time. As for the woman, her gland only allows her to do one thing. Either she remembers, or she talks. So God almighty said: One man, and two women. So that if one woman forgets, the other one reminds her."

Watch more on the video here.

Of course this is the same man who said that fathers should never be alone with their daughters lest they tempt them into lust, which prompted some to say he needs psychiatric help.

Circumcision Controls A Woman's Sexual Needs, Claims Egyptian Cleric al-Badri

Egyptian cleric Sheikh Yussef al-Badri, the same idiot who claims there is no such thing as marital rape in Islam, believes female genital mutilation (FGM) is a necessary procedure, and even though it has been illegal in Egypt since 2008, he wants the ban reversed.  In an interview with BBC reporter Aleem Maqbool he explains why, though I wouldn't recommend watching the video if you have high blood pressure.

He  doesn't seem to care that a 13 year-old girl just died after being butchered. Another 13-year-old, Nermine El-Haddad, lost her life in 2010 because her ignorant parents forced her to undergo the painful torture of FGM. And because they knew what they had done was illegal they buried the child so as not to get caught.

El-Haddad, from the village of Abu Nashaba in Menoufiya, was a pupil at Al-Khatatba preparatory school. She died after severe haemorrhaging following an operation at Menouf Public Hospital last week conducted by Dr Fatheya Mahmoud Eweida. Fearing legal action against them, her parents did not report the incident to the police. Eweida allowed the burial of El-Haddad without a death certificate or an official burial licence, and the incident only came to attention when one of Eweida's colleagues at the hospital phoned the ministry's child rescue hotline (16000).

In spite of the 2007 ban, which bans doctors from performing FGM in hospitals and a law enacted in 2008 (childhood law number 126) which makes it a crime, the practice continues, especially in the south of Egypt. Egypt is sponsoring programmes to help educate the people, but some traditions, tragically, die hard. In the meantime, young girls are being mutilated and in some cases dying because of ignorance, and misogynistic clerics like al-Badri who encourage the practice.

It is believed that 75% of Egyptian women, both Muslim and Christian, have been circumcised.

Al-Badri believes that female circumcision is ordered by Allah. It's a way to control a woman's need for a man. When the reporter asks him about a man's needs- al-Badri responds that those are controlled by marriage.  So a woman gets mutilated to control her needs, while a man gets to marry.

Al-Shabaab Attacks Women At Wedding Party

In spite of following the uber stringent rules of al-Shabaab in the tiny village of Bo'o in Somalia, people are still getting killed, and no-one can figure out why. Not surprisingly, it's usually the women who are targets.

It was a wedding party with only women in attendance. What should have been a joyous occasion turned into a nightmare when three young alleged al-Shabaab members turned up as they were leaving and opened fire.

The party was a traditional celebration to mark seven days of marriage and was attended only by women.

"It was a joyful day for the relatives and friends of the couple, as it should be when there is a wedding, and there had been no problems [with al-Shabaab until the attack]," said Ugas Hirey, a 35-year-old Bo'o resident. "We cannot figure out what changed; we were shocked by the gunshots and its ugly aftermath."

The al-Shabaab controlled village is located about 30 kilometres from Hiran's regional capital of Beledweyne, which was liberated by allied forces in December 2011 and has since rebuffed several attempts by the group to reclaim the city.

According to tribal elder Jama Ahmed the gunmen are believed to be between the ages of 16 and 19. He said they waited for the celebration to end and shot the women as they were leaving the venue, killing the groom's aunt and wounding two other women.

The residents did everything right, but even that wasn't enough, and now they're running scared.

Under al-Shabaab rules, brides are forbidden from wearing the traditional Somali garment, a white, one-shoulder dress wrapped in a red and brown shawl. Instead, women must wear a long dark skirt made of thick material and a tunic that covers from their head to below the waist. In addition, men and women must be segregated, all music is banned, and the wedding procession cannot comprise more than three vehicles.

[snip]

Ahmed said local residents are aware of the strict rules al-Shabaab has imposed on citizens regarding gatherings and celebrations, and everyone has been careful to abide by them since militants took control of the area more than three years ago.

The guests recited traditional chants called "buraanbur" to celebrate the bride, groom and respective families. The chant did not include anything forbidden by al-Shabaab, he said.

"The Bo'o incident has marked the people who live in Hiran region and has left them astounded because al-Shabaab turned what was to be a day of celebration to a day of sorrow," Ahmed said. "It shows al-Shabaab has no compassion for those who live under their rule."

And there's absolutely nothing they can do about it. Ahmed said there's no point approaching al-Shabaab:

"We cannot hold them accountable for their wrongdoings because we are afraid to cause more damage."

So they will continue to live in fear, monitoring everything they do to ensure al-Shabaab does not target them.

What a way to live one's life.

H/T @TarekFatah

Cell Phones Banned For Women In Muslim Indian Village

Once again ignorant, chauvinistic Muslims, this time in India, show us what little regard they have for women.

A village in Northwest  India  has banned cell phone usage for women (except at home in front of their parents) because it debases "the social atmosphere of the village." According to cleric Shobat Khan Pathan, they are trying to prevent young women from eloping. In light of all the violence against women in that country, it's obvious they couldn't care less about the safety of those same young women. Not that a cellphone helped the poor young rape victim in Delhi.

The village council is also establishing a dress code for women, and have banned singing and dancing at weddings, for the women only.




H/T SDAmAtt2a on Youtube