Bizzare News from around the world

Pakistans Blasphemy and Hudood Laws

Published on May 17, 2004 By valleyboyabroad In Blogging

President Musharraf of Pakistan has today called on religeous clerics to review of both the Blasphemy law and the strict Hudood law.

The Hudood law covers crimes of adultery and rape.

Under this law, a rape victim has to produce four witnesses in court to confirm her assault, otherwise she can be tried on charges of wilful adultery while the rapist goes free.

Presumably a woman that has been gang-raped by ten men needs up to forty witnesses otherwise she has commited ten counts of wilful adultery.

The slut.

Meanwhile, the blasphemy laws that first came to Western attention when Salman Rushdie published his work Midnight Garden, which insulted the Prophet Mohamet, are also under scrutiny.

A fatwah, calling for his death was issue and never rescinded, apparently because fatwahs can't be rescinded.

Rushdies follow up books, called The 'Pope is a Pig' and 'Buddha was a Bastard' subsequently failed to win critical acclaim.

yechydda,

Comments (Page 1)

kingbee

on May 17, 2004

someone recently referred to that four witnesses thing to explain why the women in africa whove been sentenced to be stoned to death by an islamic court enforcing sharia had been improperly prosecuted. he stated that its so difficult to round up four people who can testify they saw the defendant actually engaging in adulterous acts, prosecutions are generally unsucessful.

Gerry Atrick

on May 17, 2004

Pakistan is a country of extremes. I travelled there back in the mid eighties and found it to be quite an amazing place and the people were incredibly hospitable....but then I was a male travelling by myself. Also I was a tourist and so I was never going to see what happens deep inside their culture. The laws you mention have been in place for centuries and will take a long time to change, but with outside pressure they will change and these reviews you mention are a start. Thanks for letting us know.
BTW How do you get a fatwah taken out? Can you buy one?....it's just that there are a few people getting up my nose at the moment and it could be the answer

valleyboyabroad

on May 18, 2004

KIngbee,

he stated that its so difficult to round up four people who can testify they saw the defendant actually engaging in adulterous acts, prosecutions are generally unsucessful.

Exactly.

Not only is Sharia law a corruption of Islam, it is often inappropriately applied.

It tends to favour men in the example of sexual abuse and matters such as divorce.

yechydda,

valleyboyabroad

on May 18, 2004

Gerry,

I travelled there back in the mid eighties and found it to be quite an amazing place and the people were incredibly hospitable....but then I was a male travelling by myself.

Fascinating.

I had hoped to visist Pakistan on my current oddysey, but have been advised that unless I actually know someone there it is pretty risky.

If you know someone, then the risk is virtually zero.

Would you agree with this?

I had hoped to go hiking in Kashmir, but even now that there's an uneasy truce, it seems advisable to avoid the area.

Then again, because Kashmir's so huge, that's a bit like avoiding Ireland because of Belfast.

Have you written up any of your travels?

What were you doing in Pakistan at the time as a tourist?

I'd love to hear more Gerry,

from a fellow itinerant....

yechydda,

Gerry Atrick

on May 18, 2004

Valleyboy,
I went to Pakistan as part of an overland trip from London to Sydney. I started writing it up here but it is proving so long I will post it as a seperate article....hey I might as well get some points out of it.

It will be a long one so I will put the different countries under individual headings so you can skip what you are not interested in. Anyway, if you read it I hope you find some of it useful.
All the best with your travels
Gerry

Gerry Atrick

on May 18, 2004

Valleyboy,
It proved to be very long and it was only the first part but I realised after I started that I wanted to do it for myself. I called it something snappy like Travelling overland London to Sydney part 1....Sorry it does not contain the Pakistan bit, that will be in part2...it's 1.45 am here and I only got to Turkey...also I think the writing is pretty crap particularly towards the end as I am really tired. Check it out by all means but don't feel you have to...as I said I did it for myself too......now I am rambling so good night!!

valleyboyabroad

on May 19, 2004

Gerry,

Where have you written up your travelogue?

What's the name of your blog?

yechydda,

imajinit

on May 19, 2004

you never fail to come up with the most bizarre stories and commentary valleyboy... keep up the great work!

Gerry Atrick

on May 19, 2004

Valleyboy,
I started writing the article but then realised that I had never documented, for myself, the particular journey I want to write about and I would like to do that before I forget it completely. I went back and rewrote the first part and posted that. It was pretty late (1.40 am) by the time I finished and when I woke up this morning I decided that I had missed stuff out and that the writing (particularly towards the end was not good.) So I took it off line again. I will post it and I am grateful to you for prompting me to do it. But I beg your patience in this as, even for myself, I would like to get it right. I will let you know when I do as a comment on this post....probably in a few days time.
One thing you could help me with. I would like to stick in some pictures that i would scan but I am such a technological dinosaur I havent been able to work out how. Are you able to help me here?
Gerry

valleyboyabroad

on May 19, 2004

Imajinit,

'You never fail to come up with the most bizarre stories and comentary valleyboy'

Are you saying that my commentary is bizarre?

Boo hoo hoo!

I'm going to sulk now and hold m breath till I pass ou.......

yechydda,

valleyboyabroad

on May 19, 2004

Gerry,

Take your time, good things are worth the wait.

I might be in Laos by the time you post it, so you may have to wait for a while before you get my response. I'm not sure what the connectivity is like over there if at all.

As for the pictures, I'm not sure how you do that either but someone around here must know.

I think you need to put it in some HTML and have the address of the picture inside. Or something like that!

yechydda,

Gerry Atrick

on May 19, 2004

Laos...wow! I think you should be posting your adventures....I would like to read them as well.....happy travelling!!

imajinit

on May 19, 2004

you must not have stayed passed out for too long... 5 minutes later you posted another reply...

valleyboyabroad

on May 19, 2004

Gerry,

Oh trust me I have several notebooks of stuff I need to write up.

The only trouble is that I'mm too caught up in what's happening in the geo-political sphere, everyday as I read in journals, here from letters and see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears the reaction to the ongoing disaster that is Iraq I find myself writing about that instead of my little adventures.

Laos should give me a chance to write up the journal into my little handheld and when I get to 'civilisation' (which these days I define as somewhere with an internet connection) I'm hoping to have removed myself from the political loop and get on with some decent travel writing and story telling.

More later, let's keep an eye out for each others travelogues!

yechydda,

Laos...wow! I think you should be posting your adventures....I would like to read them as well.....happy travelling

valleyboyabroad

on May 19, 2004

Imajinit,

you must not have stayed passed out for too long... 5 minutes later you posted another reply...

Okay smartarse, see how long you can hold your breath for before passing out!

yechydda,

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