PARTICULAR COTERIE OF RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS WISH TO DEPRIVE WOMEN OF THEIR JUST AND BASIC RIGHTS

 ALTAF HUSSAIN

London-7 September 2006...Mr Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) addressing the Pakistanis in general and Muslims in particular said in a statement issued from London that being a Muslim and a Pakistani, he felt his duty to make the men, women and students aware of the fact as to what exactly Allah said in the message pertaining to the Laws of Hudood in the Holy Quran.  He further added that unfortunately coteries of exploitative and so-called religious scholars not only wish to deprive women of their basic rights but degrade their status to low caste citizens and slaves to continue their exploitation and patriarchy while religion of Islam, Holy Quran and Haddith repeatedly stress over the importance of the rights and sanctity of women.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that he would like to tell the nation that Almighty Allah has explicitly instructed to shroud the acts of women while the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that “ Allah loves those who hide others sins” while conversely, coteries of exploitative and a number of religious scholars desire to sacrilege the message of “shrouding” by levelling accusations against women that irrecoverably defies the instructions of Allah and sayings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Furthermore, he said that segments of Muslims are often led astray by the un-Islamic utterances of these so-called exploitative scholars presuming those to be facts, as a result of their lack of religious education and knowledge. The people are often totally unaware that the issues these exploitative and so-called scholars are raising are only to serve their vested interests and are totally in contravention of the Holy Quran, Sunnah and Islamic teachings.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that a particular group of the so-called scholars are sustainably misleading the people over the issue of sex with consent that even if only one or two men testify against a women, she should be definitely condemned to punishment which is in total violations of the instructions of Holy Quran, while this act is tantamount to changing the unequivocal instructions of the Holy Quran that no Muslim is neither permitted nor empowered.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that he now quotes the instructions of the Holy Quran on the point of views presented by a particular group of scholars on Hudood Ordinance not only to save the innocent people from being misled but also verify my statement from the Holy Quran. He said that Almighty Allah states in verse 4 of “Sura Noor” as follows:  

وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاء فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

24:4 And as for those who accuse chaste women [of adultery], ^[6] and then are unable to produce four witnesses [in support of their accusation], flog them with eighty stripes ^[7] and ever after refuse to accept from them any testimony - since it is they, they that are truly depraved.

Almighty Allah further states in the verses from 6 to 9 of “Sura Noor” that is as follows: 

He further said that regarding chastity of women Almighty Allah states as follows in the verses 23 and 24:

24:24 on the Day when their own tongues and hands and feet will bear witness against them by [recalling] all that they did!

 

Mr Altaf Hussain said that particular groups of Mullahs did not leave any stone unturned to disgrace and defame women; people like these Mullahs did not even spare Umm-ul-Momeneen, wife of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa Razi Allah Tala Anha from levelling shameless, baseless and false accusation against her, upon which Almighty Allah descended divine message (Wahi) in “Sura Noor” verses 15 and 16 of the Holy Quran that states:

إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ

24:15 when you take it up with your tongues, uttering with your mouths something of which you have no knowledge, and deeming it a light matter whereas in the sight of God it is an awful thing!

وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَذَا سُبْحَانَكَ هَذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ

24:16 And [once again]: Why do you not say, whenever you hear such [a rumour], “It does not behove us to speak of this, O Thou who art limitless in Thy glory: this is an awesome calumny”?

Almighty Allah clearly states in “Sura Noor”, verse no.33 that:

وَمَن يُكْرِههُّنَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مِن بَعْدِ إِكْرَاهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

If anyone should coerce them, then, verily, after they have been compelled [to submit in their helplessness], God will be much forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

Mr Altaf Hussain said that under the light of above Quranic dispensation, if a woman has been raped, she cannot be subjected to “Hadd”. He further said that despite these Quranic dispensations, a particular group of the so-called Mullahs of our country are hell bent on the mission of chastising women. He added that these heinous and perverse acts of the so-called Mullahs are in total negation of Hudood Allah. He said that the so-called Mullahs in the quest of accomplishing their heinous mission of proving women weak and disgraceful are committing such acts which are in total contravention of the under mentioned Haddith quoted in “Saheeh Bukhari Shareef”, Volume 1, entitled “Kitab-ul-Shahadaat”, Chapter 2481 and page no. 976 that states: that Bilal -bin- Ummiya came to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and levelled accusation against his wife and Shareek-bin-Sahma. The Holy Prophet in response asked to provide evidence or else he would be subjected to Law of Hadd. In response to the Holy Prophet, Bilal-bin-Ummiya asked that if one of us see our wives with men, should we then go on looking for witnessess! However, the Holy Prophet insisted on providing witness or else he had to face the Laws of Hadd. On the same page in chapter 1665, another Haddith states as follows: “if any one register a case or level allegation then the onus of producing witnesses is on the person levelling accusation or registering claim.

Another Haddith quoted on page 965, chapter 2465 in “Saheeh Bukhari Sharif” states as follows: Ubaidullah-bin-Abu Bakar-bin-Anas said that Hazrat Anas once asked the Holy prophet about “Gunah-e-Kabira(Major Sins)” and he responded that challenging the oneness of Almighty Allah by inclusion anyone else with Almighty Allah, disobedience with parents and falsely testifying are Gunah-e-Kabira (Major Sins). He asserted that this particular coterie of Mullahs wish to continue the practice of killing women in the name of “Karo-Kari”, “Honour Killings” by subjecting them to false accusations and justify their unjust, unislamic and unlawful killings under the pretext of Hudood Ordinance. Today, thousands of women are arbitrarily languishing in jails under the old Hudood Ordinance.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that Almighty Allah states in verse 19 in “Sura Noor” about those elements who wish to slander women and pervade vulgarity under the pretext of Hudood Ordinance in the following terms:  

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Verily, as for those who like [to hear] foul slander spread against [any of] those who have attained to faith ^[20] grievous suffering awaits them in this world ^[21] and in the life to come: for God knows [the full truth], whereas you know [it] not. ^[22]

Mr Altaf Hussain addressing the nation questioned that how could any Muslim be misguided or misled by the utterance of the so-called religious scholars against explicit instructions of the Holy Quran? He said that in fact, a particular coterie of the so-called scholars under the guise of Hudood Ordinance desires to subject women to abjectness, slavery and degradation to satisfy their whims and desires. He vehemently appealed to Pakistanis not to accept the Hudood Ordinance that was formulated according to the whims and wishes of the so-called religious scholars because it is not only in violations of Almighty Allah and orders of the Holy Quran but is based on their nefarious desires and wishes.

Mr Altaf Hussain stated that the unnecessary debate over Hudood Ordinance should now cease and it should be formulated in accordance with the comprehensive instructions provided in the Holy Quran. He further added that original Hudood Ordinance was the figments of the imagination of late General Zia-ul-Huq while the revised Ordinance, in fact, has been formulated by the Select Committee of the National Assembly under the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.