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"It's something that's partial. It's half-way. We would have liked to see a total repeal of these anti-women and discriminatory laws." Still, it's some good news. By Zeeshan Haider for Reuters, with thanks to Tanis:
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's lower house of parliament voted on Wednesday to put the crime of rape under the civil penal code, curtailing the scope of Islamic laws that rights groups have long criticized as unfair to women.The Women's Protection Bill was seen as a barometer of President Pervez Musharraf's commitment to his vision of "enlightened moderation" and a major battle in a struggle between progressive forces and religious conservatives over the Muslim nation's course.
"It is a historic bill because it will give rights to women and help end excesses against them," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told the assembly after the vote.
The Islamic laws, known as the Hudood Ordinances, were introduced by a military ruler, President Zia-ul-Haq, in 1979. They made a rape victim liable to prosecution for adultery if she could not produce four male witnesses to the assault.
The main amendment approved on Wednesday takes rape out of the sphere of the religious law and puts it under the penal code.
That does away with the requirement for four male witnesses and will allow convictions to be made on the basis of forensic and circumstantial evidence.
The amendment bill must be approved by the upper house of parliament before it becomes law.
Human rights campaigners have long pressed for total repeal of the Islamic laws, but have nevertheless welcomed moves to amend them.
The amendments were fiercely opposed by an alliance of Islamist parties, which make up the main opposition bloc in parliament.
"SOME RELIEF"
Islamist lawmakers walked out of parliament, boycotting the vote, after leader Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman told the assembly the change to the law would encourage free sex.
"This is an attempt to create a free sex zone in Pakistan," he said. "Existing laws are correct and should be maintained ... The changes are not in line with Islamic teaching."
In an apparent concession to conservatives, an amendment was introduced shortly before the vote setting down punishment of up to five years in prison for extra-marital sex, though sex outside marriage had always been an offence under laws on adultery.
Opposition members of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's more liberal Pakistan People's Party supported the bill.
"It's something that's partial. It's half-way. We would have liked to see a total repeal of these anti-women and discriminatory laws," Sherry Rehman, a senior member of Bhutto's party told Reuters.
"We felt that since there was some relief provided to women in this particular bill, we would not stand in its way."
The amendments also introduced the concept of statutory rape, outlawing sex with girls under 16. The Islamic code had banned sex with girls before puberty.
Posted by Robert at November 15, 2006 12:27 PM
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The amendments also introduced the concept of statutory rape, outlawing sex with girls under 16................................................................................................
R-I-G-H-T.... How many old geezers are going to jail for marrying 8 year old girls?
Women of Pakistan....don't hold your breath.
Posted by: freewoman![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 15, 2006 12:40 PM
"This is an attempt to create a free sex zone in Pakistan," he said. "Existing laws are correct and should be maintained ... The changes are not in line with Islamic teaching."
Yeah, I can just see a bunch of scantily clad women running loose in Pakistan luring those poor men into their dens of iniquity. This law just has to stand, otherwise all those men will be forever corrupted. Those wicked women will be the death of Pakistan, that moral bastion of the Islamic world.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at November 15, 2006 12:47 PM
It would not surprise me in the least if some Islamaniac scientist is working on a way for men to give birth so that they can just abolish women completely. Then some mule-ah will find something in the Koran that justifies it all.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at November 15, 2006 1:24 PM
A law that serves society better than the law of Allah. How can that be?
If this does get passed onto civil law ... which is doubtful ... will they enforce the law ... which is even more doubtful.
Posted by: Jack at November 15, 2006 2:46 PM
"This is an attempt to create a free sex zone in Pakistan"
this means that naseem will be working more...
Posted by: StillFedUp at November 15, 2006 2:59 PM
I am so glad I don't live in a Muslim country.
Posted by: Josephine at November 15, 2006 3:48 PM
From the article:
"The Islamic laws, known as the Hudood Ordinances, were introduced by a military ruler, President Zia-ul-Haq, in 1979"
The Hudood Ordinances!
Zia-ul-Haq!
1979!
Like Rush says "Folks, you just can't make stuff like this up"
Posted by: ShortBoard Surfer at November 15, 2006 4:07 PM
First of all this law will never pass. It's nothing but a smoke screen by President Pervez Musharraf to look good in front of his dhimmi allies.
Let's not forget there's ll sorts of stuff going on in the background as Pakistan still supports the Taliban, but still tries to look innocent in the west.
First time there's a vote it'll be shot down as the Quran will be copiously cited. No need to get excited by this one.
Niv
Posted by: niv at November 15, 2006 5:40 PM
Yeah, whoopey, sure, don't hold your breath pakistan ladies. Why am I so skeptical about this blatant political tactic to appease the likes of Condi Rice and the state department, the Pentagon and anyone else so ignorant of sharia law that they would fall for this?
Posted by: the poetess at November 15, 2006 5:52 PM
Niv has it correct. It'll never happen. This is a prime example of innovation that I have read so much about. There is no foundation in Islamic "law" for forensic, physical, or circumstantial evidence. I have read one Islamic "scholarly" opinion that says DNA evidence could only be used to garner a confession. Bruises, DNA, victim testimony does not count. I imagine that a videotape of the crime would be inadmissible.
Innovation is strongly verboten.
Posted by: Pelayo at November 15, 2006 6:00 PM
First time there's a vote it'll be shot down as the Quran will be copiously cited. No need to get excited by this one.
Niv
Posted by: niv at November 15, 2006 05:40 PM
..... and how can Quran, that says 'Earth is flat', be wrong?
Posted by: Alert at November 15, 2006 6:42 PM
Yeah, whoopey, sure, don't hold your breath pakistan ladies.
Posted by: the poetess at November 15, 2006 05:52 PM
... besides, even if Islamic Republic of Pakistan curtails the scope of Islamic law (see the irony there?), unless they leave Islam, muslim women cannot escape 'honour killing', which again means death. Naseem, which one should your muslim sisters choose? 'Honour killing' or 'Death for leaving Islam'?
Posted by: Alert at November 15, 2006 6:54 PM
slightly off topic but still appropos:
from:
http://www.kafirnation.com/myth2.htm
The Jews and Christians were considered evil people because they rejected mohamed as a prophet of god as they knew of the true God and it was rather obvious that he wasn't a prophet sent from Him.
Jesus is the perfect example of love and tolerance
John 8:7. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Muhammed was the perfect opposite:
"The Prophet (Muhammad) said: 'Do not stone the adulteress who is pregnant until she has had her child.' After the birth she was put into a ditch up to her chest and the Prophet commanded them to stone her. Khalid came forward with a stone, which he threw at her head, and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and he cursed her. The gentle Prophet prayed over her and she was buried."
(Hadith No. Muslim 682)
One would think that in common parlance that to respect someone as a prophet would seek guidance in his teaching.
---
JESUS SHOWED MERCY
MUHAMMED SHOWED HATE
END OF STORY
Posted by: THE ALLIES SHALL WIN at November 15, 2006 7:25 PM
>this is my coment on the laws in packistan as 2 poems if they change the laws great but i am not houlding my breath
Married to a uncle at 10
> I was born to my mother when she was
>
> only a child of 13
>
> My father was a hard man of 60 a inman
>
> But mom died giving birth to myself a daughter
>
> But dad wanted a son cussed and tossed me
>
> To my anuts to raise while dad wedded
>
> A new 12 year bride who died giving\him
>
> A son from, the time I could walk I had to
>
> Serve my baby brother and my father
>
> And uncles slaving from dawn to dusk
>
> Denied the chance to learn to read
>
> Married to a uncle at 10 when i first
had my moon blood
>
> By age11 I was great with
>
> Child 8 months gone
>
> My pains start tearing me in twain
>
> My baby is here one month to soon
>
> I hear my babies cry
>
> The midwife fearfully says I cant
>
> Stop the bleeding as my life
>
> slips from me my husband cries
>
> god is great I have a son
>
> he cares not that I am failing
>
> from blood loss he has his son
>
> I pray to Allah that my baby will
>
> Not marry his bride too young
>
> While still A child
>
> Jim kennett 11/14/2006 9:08 PM
>
>
>
>
>only 15
> I walked to the park in teran with my girl friend and my bother as
>
> dumma and my promised husband I was a good
>
> virtuous woman wearing my burke and being modest
>
> before all men , keeping my honor safe for my family
>
> and my love but when my 10 year old brother could not stop
>
> my 4 attackers and my love was killed my respect torn\
>
>
>
> from me cast into jail for zina and my rapists walk free
>
> they ripped my skin from my back with 80 swings of the lash
>
> for the crime of zina because the only men to see my rape
>
> were the 4 that raped me
>
> my dear little brother his head smashed lies near death
>
> the Sharia court says he’s just a child he could not speak for me
>
> but he lies in a endless slumber from which he will not wake
>
>
>
> the mullah in court says I must die by hanging for the crime of
>
> being wanton but I am blameless of the crime he tries
>
> and sends me to the gallows for my rapist in the stand mock
>
> me and walk free the mullah gives me 8 more months to live
>
> my belly grows round one of my attackers seed grows in my womb
>
> my child is a innocent and will be a good Muslim boy so he is going to be
>
> allowed to be born then I will be dragged to the gallows to die
>
> I cry in my cell for my child that i will never hold I am only 15 :'(
j
jim kennett
>
>
> I got the idea from
>
> Reading about child brides in Pakistan
>
> And from reading the quran
>
> And I understand that female children are often
>
> Do not get a education and are often in tribal
>
> Areas are married off as soon as they have
>
> Their first period long befor their bodies
>
> Are capable of safly having a child
>
> They are pregnant
>
>
>
>
at November 16, 2006 12:18 AM
There is complexity in Islam, even as it is axiomatic and fundamentalist at the core.
What'll happen here is that Paki, perhaps the most egregious nation on earth, will garner favorable publicity for this. Then, this progressive move will be de facto ignored, and be repealed de jure after a time, and the media will never balance the account.
Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at November 16, 2006 2:05 AM
Where will the change be? If a rape victim can't prove that it was rape, she can go to prison for 5 years for adultery.
Posted by: Lili at November 16, 2006 2:06 AM
You know, they could easily implement a law that insists that in the case of rape a DNA test would be required. That way, any woman complaining of rape can prove that what she's saying is true. This is of course, unless the judges themselves have a vested interest in NOT proving it.
Posted by: Isabellathecrusader at November 16, 2006 12:34 PM
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