Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has signed a law introducing Islamic ‘shariah’ law in the picturesque Swat valley in northwestern Pakistan in an attempt to end Taliban violence, but critics warn that it could encourage Taliban influence to spread further in the fragile country.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament on Monday unanimously approved a resolution paving the way to install Islamic law in courts in the Malakand region, of which Swat is the headquarters.
Mr Zardari immediately followed the parliamentary resolution by formally approving the law, agreed on between the government and Islamic militants in February to end months of intense fighting between the Pakistani military and Taliban militants.
However, critics denounced the law on the grounds that it would embolden the Taliban to demand similar ‘shariah’ Islamic law elsewhere outside Malakand.
“This step by the government will only embolden the Taliban movement in the sense that if they demand for something, the government concedes, and then they come back with more demands” said Asma Jehangir, a Pakistani human rights lawyer.
The agreement has attracted fresh controversy after a group of Pakistani human rights activists earlier this month released footage showing the Taliban publicly whipping a 17 -year old woman in Swat after she was accused of adultery. The incident sparked fresh debate over the Taliban’s particularly harsh brand of justice.
“If you are the Taliban and you believe in such public displays of harsh measures, you are then capable of doing anything, especially once you have legal cover” warned a western diplomat in Islamabad. “The danger is that these laws give cover to practices that have questionable legitimacy.”
However, a Pakistani government official said the deal was vital to bring peace to Swat as a prerequisite for the government re-establishing its control over the area. “This was a bitter pill that had to be swallowed in the long term interest of Swat and its surrounding region” said the official.
who would have thought!? mashallah, i hope pakistan has shariah Law all over!
pakistan is definetely heading in the right direction, yes they'll probably make a few more mistakes along the way but excellent news and inshallah soon the whole of pakistan will be under the whole shariah system, not just the legal code part.
A lot of people will suffer pain and many will die, the lives of many will become a misery and It'll all end in tears. And, the impact will be felt not just by those in the Swat valley and not just by those in the rest of Pakistan but by all Pakistanis all over the world because whether you like it or not and no matter how hard you shout about not being judged by the actions of a few fanatics, and no matter how unjust to you that might be, you will be so judged by their actions by the rest of the world.
I agree and I think this is more saddening than anything and it's only going to get worse. I am still having trouble understanding why Pakistan would hand over an area, 1,500 sq miles in size to the Taliban (supporters of Terrorism) and allow them to impose a strict form a Shariah law upon the people in the area.
Since they have returned...
-Oppression of women has returned
-Girls have been barred from school
-Schools are being burned down
-Increased beheadings, shootings, and bombings are on the rise
-Government buildings are bombed or burned down
-Police are being killed or driven out
If this is what you are happy about, if this is to represent Shariah law to the world, then I feel sorry for Muslims worldwide because the image of Islam especially to the United States is continually being knocked down a peg every time a news report comes in from the Middle East. I sincerely don't think the majority of Muslims throughout the world enjoy being depicted as cruel, oppressive people as images and stories from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and now Pakistan continue to surface. I do not find Muslims or Islam to be cruel and oppressive but I do have issues with portions of Sharia law especially when and how its imposed upon people as we are currently seeing in Pakistan.
Since they have returned...
-Oppression of women has returned
-Girls have been barred from school
-Schools are being burned down
-Increased beheadings, shootings, and bombings are on the rise
-Government buildings are bombed or burned down
-Police are being killed or driven out
^So cz are you being sarcastic?
all this time on the forum and still you think the Shariah Law =
-Oppression of women has returned
-Girls have been barred from school
-Schools are being burned down
-Increased beheadings, shootings, and bombings are on the rise
-Government buildings are bombed or burned down
-Police are being killed or driven out
^So cz are you being sarcastic?
all this time on the forum and still you think the Shariah Law =
-Oppression of women has returned
-Girls have been barred from school
-Schools are being burned down
-Increased beheadings, shootings, and bombings are on the rise
-Government buildings are bombed or burned down
-Police are being killed or driven out
No, in fact I'm saying precisely the opposite.
I thought that saying "This isn't shariah law, surely?" would be clear enough.
there could be many different theories about the future of pakistan, and swat; and different takes about the event. maybe it's a good thing that the people over there got what they wanted. maybe it's a bad thing that they don't know what they are going to get. time will tell, but I'm not very optimistic TBH.
Come, let's all be fellows, make life easy on ourselves
let us love, and be loved, no one will have the world for themselves.
I agree and I think this is more saddening than anything and it's only going to get worse. I am still having trouble understanding why Pakistan would hand over an area, 1,500 sq miles in size to the Taliban (supporters of Terrorism) and allow them to impose a strict form a Shariah law upon the people in the area.
Since they have returned...
-Oppression of women has returned
-Girls have been barred from school
-Schools are being burned down
-Increased beheadings, shootings, and bombings are on the rise
-Government buildings are bombed or burned down
-Police are being killed or driven out
If this is what you are happy about, if this is to represent Shariah law to the world, then I feel sorry for Muslims worldwide because the image of Islam especially to the United States is continually being knocked down a peg every time a news report comes in from the Middle East. I sincerely don't think the majority of Muslims throughout the world enjoy being depicted as cruel, oppressive people as images and stories from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and now Pakistan continue to surface. I do not find Muslims or Islam to be cruel and oppressive but I do have issues with portions of Sharia law especially when and how its imposed upon people as we are currently seeing in Pakistan.
Perish in your rage.
Its a shame that Pakistan has to "approve" anything. May Allah keep our brothers and sisters in Pakistan and the world strong on the haqq.
^So cz are you being sarcastic?
all this time on the forum and still you think the Shariah Law =
-Oppression of women has returned
-Girls have been barred from school
-Schools are being burned down
-Increased beheadings, shootings, and bombings are on the rise
-Government buildings are bombed or burned down
-Police are being killed or driven out
Even I don't believe that this is how Shariah law is in normal Muslims society's for I even have read Shariah law shares many similarities to the U.S. Constitution. But how the Taliban is using it is how the non-Muslim world sees it. This law wasn't passed to benefit all Pakistan Muslims but to end violence and benefit the Taliban version of it. The majority of people in the world are narrow-minded. They live their lives by media bites and key words. So, they hear "Sharia law", "Taliban", "violence", and "Islam" on the news over and over again (Fox News is bad for doing this) and it get's drilled in their head that "Islam represents Violence", "Taliban follows true Shariah law." Then they tell their narrow-minded friends, who tell their friends, etc and you breed hate and wrongful depictions of Islam and Muslims worldwide.
The fact that Shari'ah law is used in the courts in this area I think is a good thing. However the way the Taliban are implementing it, is not good or encouraging.
‘Say: If the ocean were ink wherewith to write out the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted, even if We added another ocean like it.’~Al Qu'raan (18:109)
A lot of people will suffer pain and many will die, the lives of many will become a misery and It'll all end in tears. And, the impact will be felt not just by those in the Swat valley and not just by those in the rest of Pakistan but by all Pakistanis all over the world because whether you like it or not and no matter how hard you shout about not being judged by the actions of a few fanatics, and no matter how unjust to you that might be, you will be so judged by their actions by the rest of the world.
hey that sounds like Iraq and Afghanistan thanks to you trying to force your democracy on them!
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