Fatwa reigning.

২৯ শে আগস্ট, ২০১৬ দুপুর ১:২৮

Bangladesh came under immense scrutiny this past January when the brutal and unjust death of 14 year old Hena Akhter caught the attention of the international community. Akhter, whose sexual assault by her 40 year old cousin was considered an affair, was issued 100 lashes as punishment for her “crime” through an Islamic Shariah law practice called fatwa. Akhter became unconscious after 80 lashes and later died in a hospital just 35 kilometers outside of the capital city, Dhaka.

Her death was not an isolated incident. That same month, a 16 year old rape victim was flogged to death after her sexual assault was discovered. Again in December 2010, Sufia Begum died from injuries sustained during the 40 lashes she was issued for an alleged affair. These deaths unleashed many unanswered questions about extrajudicial punishment issued in the name of fatwa and violence against women in Bangladesh. Despite the July 2010 reaffirmation of a 2001 judgment by the Supreme Court outlawing the practice of such extrajudicial punishments, the Bangladesh government is still in the spotlight for not doing enough to protect its women. So let us see as to how things led to this extreme event.

Fatwa, an Islamic religious declaration which means ‘a formal legal opinion’, impacts a disproportionate number of women as a repercussion for alleged infidelity or not adhering to traditional gender norms. In cultural practice, punishments can take many forms–whipping, lashing, imposing fines, cutting of the woman’s hair or blackening her face all in an effort to ostracize and humiliate the woman and her family. The type of punishment is arbitrarily decided, carried out by community members and has no legal bearing. Many of these crimes are often not reported but according to human rights organizations, approximately 500 women were flogged in Bangladesh in the past decade. It is clear that women in this country are not receiving the justice they deserve if these unchecked violations of women’s human rights continue to terrorize them.

So my question stands,is this an actual religious thing? If so,its clearly being exploited and used in a very cruel some manner. Islam can never allow this type of barbarous acts. It is really foolish even to think that Islam allows this type of behavior. I stand strongly against this and demand that this is looked into by the officials and brought down immediately. The state has its own laws and there are officials to carry them out. If we want to live in a community, we must abide by some rules,otherwise peace and tranquility will be lost.

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