Saturday, July 02, 2005
The case of Imrana Bibi
A fatwa has been raised against this woman who has been raped by her Father-in-Law, as now she has become "Haraam" for her husband, so says the Deoband Madarsa. A woman representative of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) says, "These are rules written down by Allah, what can we do in this. If India was an Islamic nation, the Father-in-law would have been 'stoned to death'". This exemplifies the medieval thinking that the Muslims are still stuck in.
The worst part is that the 'secular' Congress and the 'secular' SP, have both abided by the fatwa from Deoband, and are in acceptance of the AIMPLB's stand.
I just heard Javed Akhtar on NDTV, discuss this, and accused the media and BJP of raking up the issue only when Muslims are involved. He very passionately brought up the case of a 13 yeard old girl raped in Haryana and made to stay with the rapist, till they are 18 and then married. He also brought up the case of a woman being paraded naked in a village for some reason, which the Panchayat thought deserved such inhumane and demeaning treatment.
I agree with him - nothing may have happened in these cases. The problem there is the failure of the sick Government machinery and has little to do with Hinduism. These is the sickness our society still has, but the laws do not protect (or worse, go against the victim) people carrying out these things.
If the police failed to arrest the culprits, it was a failure of the system, and not a religious doctrine.
The problem in Imrana Bibi's case has been, that there is a Law Board, allowed under the constitution of India, which is instead of protecting the woman, is issuing a fatwa against her.
In the Haryana cases, the Hindu religious bodies (there are so many with so many different beliefs that there is no one authority anyway) did not come out in acceptance of the same. (It is a different matter that such religious leaders/bodies are not coming forward to shame the culprits, shows the 'fall from grace' of most of these religious leaders; and the misfortune of India and Hinduism, which has thrived on reformers, and have reverred them as Saints, from time immemorial).
The state must reject the fatwa, and protect Imrana Bibi, and not abide by the mindless medieval idiots - the Deoband people.
Reject such an Allah, who says that a woman becomes Haraam for her husband, if she is raped. We do not need such a disgustful and obscene Allah.
Islam, re-invent your Allah! Everyday Prophet Mohammad must be shedding tears of blood, on wathcing what you have done to the teachings he gave.
A fatwa has been raised against this woman who has been raped by her Father-in-Law, as now she has become "Haraam" for her husband, so says the Deoband Madarsa. A woman representative of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) says, "These are rules written down by Allah, what can we do in this. If India was an Islamic nation, the Father-in-law would have been 'stoned to death'". This exemplifies the medieval thinking that the Muslims are still stuck in.
The worst part is that the 'secular' Congress and the 'secular' SP, have both abided by the fatwa from Deoband, and are in acceptance of the AIMPLB's stand.
I just heard Javed Akhtar on NDTV, discuss this, and accused the media and BJP of raking up the issue only when Muslims are involved. He very passionately brought up the case of a 13 yeard old girl raped in Haryana and made to stay with the rapist, till they are 18 and then married. He also brought up the case of a woman being paraded naked in a village for some reason, which the Panchayat thought deserved such inhumane and demeaning treatment.
I agree with him - nothing may have happened in these cases. The problem there is the failure of the sick Government machinery and has little to do with Hinduism. These is the sickness our society still has, but the laws do not protect (or worse, go against the victim) people carrying out these things.
If the police failed to arrest the culprits, it was a failure of the system, and not a religious doctrine.
The problem in Imrana Bibi's case has been, that there is a Law Board, allowed under the constitution of India, which is instead of protecting the woman, is issuing a fatwa against her.
In the Haryana cases, the Hindu religious bodies (there are so many with so many different beliefs that there is no one authority anyway) did not come out in acceptance of the same. (It is a different matter that such religious leaders/bodies are not coming forward to shame the culprits, shows the 'fall from grace' of most of these religious leaders; and the misfortune of India and Hinduism, which has thrived on reformers, and have reverred them as Saints, from time immemorial).
The state must reject the fatwa, and protect Imrana Bibi, and not abide by the mindless medieval idiots - the Deoband people.
Reject such an Allah, who says that a woman becomes Haraam for her husband, if she is raped. We do not need such a disgustful and obscene Allah.
Islam, re-invent your Allah! Everyday Prophet Mohammad must be shedding tears of blood, on wathcing what you have done to the teachings he gave.
# posted by Rahul Dewan : 12:28 PM
