A judicial body in Pakistan issued a fatwa against tourism minister Nilofar Bakhtiar for posing in an ‘obscene manner’ with French paraglider pilots, asserted a top cleric.
Authorities have summoned the government to reprimand and discharge her from the cabinet.
The pictures, available in a local Urdu-language newspaper, depict Bakhtiar in brightly-colored paragliding gear participating in a tandem glide during a trip to France and then hugging an instructor upon landing.
Pakistani officials dismissed the fatwa, saying it had no legal, religious or moral authority. Human rights and political activists and many other Pakistanis have condemned the action and expressed support for her.
Ms. Bakhtiar also dismissed the criticism and, in an interview said that the photographs were taken out of context and that they showed her being congratulated for making the jump at a charity event.
Last month, students from the mosque’s religious school abducted three women they accused of running a brothel. They later detained two policemen. All of those detained were released, but the Islamists have vowed to press on with their campaign against ‘obscenity and un-Islamic activities’.
Followers of the radical clerics at the Islamabad mosque have become increasingly audacious, raising fears that for all Musharraf’s talk of ‘enlightened moderation’ he cannot stop a trend towards the Talibanisation of Pakistan.
She said that while Mr. Musharraf’s government had been trying to put Pakistan on the path toward moderation and enlightenment, o
pposition to women participating in all walks of life by hard-line Islamic clerics is only natural. Pakistan is going through a transitional phase. Such negative forces are bound to come up. We are adamant that we will face them, but the world has to understand that it will take time.
Comments
Hey pooja first of all you are not a muslim so nobody expects you to understand what a fatwa is and on what basis its issued so you commenting on a muslim fatwa is absurd.
How can a non-muslim ever agree with muslim laws agreed? as we wont with yours.
Saati a practice followed by your people to burn a married woman when her husband dies isnt tht more ridiculous? you be careful to take care of your husband sweetie haha. and i hope yu have done your homework, muslims brought an end to tht practice when they conquered India
Our religion has certain boundaries for women and men to stay in their limits. Even your own people in india IF you read news had protested against Shilpa Shetty kissing a guy in public REMEMBER!! do you think thts ridiculous???? or may be you are too americanized or atleast trying to be.
remember our culture which we have shared for a long time women understood their limits but unfortunately now they dont. by the way it wasnt a gesture it was a hug.
I will recommend you to first learn Islam and its rulings if your SO interested in commenting on them so that you may atleast understand the reason for the ruling.
Good Luck!!!
Point of Shariah Law, whilst a shariah court attached to the mosque has the authority to decide that a hugging ’incident’ is not in the spirit of islamic teachings, it has no legal authority to insist on the removal of a minister from the federal government.
In Pakistani Shariah Courts photographic evidence have to be accompanied by a statement from the photographer to the effect that the photo has not been doctored, without this evidence or any other ’reliable’ witness giving a statement, to even suggest such a thing has occured means the accusers risks getting lashed for slandering a Muslim Women. The burden of proof in Shariah is on the accuser.
Before prouncing a punishment the Shariah court also needs to get the accused side of the incident, I pray these scholar take a little more trouble learning about Shariah Law and have a little more fear of Allah before they make these kind of prouncements. (parwez@yahoo.com)
you are a armature pros and don’t think that all women should be like you. Your religion has allow you to kill a low caste people if he dare to defy you. If we start to count the demerits of your religion then my whole will spend but i cannot count all the bad things in your religion.