Women’s rights has become the most important debates in Pakistan. With the Musharraf government’s commitment to enlightened Islam, we are finally seeing a move to change the most repressive law in the history of the nation. The Hudood Ordinance was brought into effect during the ultra-Islamist dictatorship of General Zia ul-Haq and has been the basis for massive human rights violations against women for almost 3 decades.
Today, the people of Pakistan are taking positions on the left and right; the left believes that this ordinance must be changed, if not repealed, while the right is screaming that it is un-Islamic to change the law and it will lead to the moral decay of the Pakistani people. While the government, media and educated class of Pakistan represent the left, the louder voice comes from the ultra-religiocrats of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), a conglomeration of 6 different religious parties, and the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was dismissed and exiled on charges of hijacking, terrorism and massive corruption.
Over the past few weeks, the year long battle has come to a boiling point, with the Women’s Protection Bill 2006 being presented in the National Assembly of Pakistan. With the government and the media fighting tooth and nail for the ordinance to be changed, the religiocrats have vowed to “fight to the death to make sure this bill is not passed.” The battle became further entrenched when the leader of the MMA, Mualana Fazl-ur-Rehman, lead the charge in the National Assembly by ripping up the bill, which included numerous references to the Holy Quran, Allah 
and the Prophet Muhammad 
, and stepping on the torn pieces bringing screams of blasphemy from the left. To those of us who believe in Islam and its teachings, this is a desecration and will not be tolerated. How do you trust a religiocrat that doesn’t have respect for the Holy Quran? That would be like a Christian burning the Bible to make a point. What the MMA didn’t count on was the power of the free media that Musharraf has ushered in. Within hours of the incident in the National Assembly, the entire country was watching the video tape of these idiots smiling and laughing as they committed blasphemy.
As a prelude to a series that I will start later this week, I have provided links to the fantastic work that GEO TV, Pakistan’s largest international news channel, has done to educate the public about the Hudood Ordinance and why it must be changed, if not repealed. These links provide a great basis to frame the debate and how the illiterate religiocrats would like to paint the issue. Capital Talk, Jawab Dey, Alif, and Pachas Manit have all done excellent programs on the Hudood Ordinance.
The Hudood Ordinance needs to go and if it means that the religiocrats, MMA and others need to go with it, then so be it! And if you are wondering where I stand…. Throw out the Hudood Ordinance. Throw out the religiocrats that want to hold my country hostage with a skewed interpretation of Islam. And throw out anyone that wants to stand with them.
Pakistan has decided: We will not let this continue any longer.
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One Comment
Personally I have not thoroughly studied Hudood Laws.But i have read many cases in which victims were punished instead of providing justice by the courts because the victims could not arrange four adult male witnesses.If this is true, than this non sense must be ended.Othere means of witness shoud be employed instead of the old Gawahi system. Everybody is corrupt here. No such witness could ever be available.
As far as the consenting adults sexual relations are conerned, instead of all my progressive mind, I donot accept this in an Islamic or unislami society. Sex should be regulated so that the families are regulated, and the nations are regulated and balanced.
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