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NEWS CENTRAL/S. ASIA
Pakistan mulls forced marriage ban
Opposition supporters protested against the amendments to Pakistan's rape laws [AP]

Pakistan's ruling party has introduced a bill to outlaw forced marriages, including those that take place under an ancient tribal custom in which women are married off in order to settle feuds.

The proposed Anti-Women Practices Bill was introduced by Chaudry Shujaat Hussain, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League, in the National Assembly.

Hussain said: "The Anti-Women Practices Bill will end the decades-old subjugation of women.

"Credit goes to president Musharraf for taking this bold step for the first time in the country's history."


Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, has vowed to give women more rights in line with his policy to project Pakistan as a moderate, progressive Islamic nation.

Inheritance rights

"Whoever coerces, or in any manner whatsoever compels a woman to enter into marriage shall be punished with imprisonment" for up to three years and a fine, according to the proposed law.

Another provision bans forcing a woman into a "marriage with the Holy Quran", a practice still seen in deeply conservative rural parts of Pakistan in which a woman swears on the Quran never to marry. Critics argue the tradition is used to prevent a woman from taking her share of a family's land with her when she marries.

Illegally depriving a woman of her inheritance rights would be punished with up to seven years in jail, under the bill.

The bill would also outlaw notorious customs like "vani", where blood feuds in rural areas are settled by offering young girls in marriage to the offended party.

Police said last week that a four-year old girl was married to a 45-year-old man in a remote northwestern town to settle an argument, leading to the arrest of 12 people from two families.

Shaukat Aziz, the Pakistani prime minister, said the legislation would prevent the exploitation and discrimination of women and showed the government was committed to women's rights.

It was unclear when lawmakers would vote on the bill, which must first be discussed in a parliamentary committee.

Violence against women

In December, Musharraf signed into law a bill that made it easier to prosecute rape cases in the courts.

The amendments allow judges to try a rape case in a criminal court rather than under Islamic laws in which a victim must produce four witnesses to the alleged assault.

Those who accuse Musharraf of trying to introduce Western secular values into the country, staged demonstrations across Pakistan to protest against the changes, which they called un-Islamic.

Rights groups, however, say violence against women remains rampant and have urged the government to go much further.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said last week that at least 565 women and girls died in 2006 in so-called "honour killings", nearly twice as many as the previous year.

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Those who accuse Musharraf of trying to introduce Western secular values into the country, staged demonstrations across Pakistan to protest against the changes, which they called un-Islamic.

Yes, those damned western secular values ! Can't a man marry a 4 years old without those "western secular values" ruining his bliss ?...

this is a proof how cultural values get mixed up with religious values.

What cultural or religious values you are talking about ?


I tought in contrast to animals human can make use of their brains. This 45 years old man and the others seem to have no brains. Immagine he will tell you my wife was 4 years old. I had to divorce, I do not khnow she did not get pregnant.
4 years is still a baby...come on !!!!

Krim... Easy man! we are speaking the same language... What I mean is that the cultural values become religious values for some people for instance this: "Those who accuse Musharraf of trying to introduce Western secular values into the country, staged demonstrations across Pakistan to protest against the changes, which they called un-Islamic". Un-islamic means against the Ku'ran. So these people believe that marring a 4 year-old is right according to islamic law. Which is definetly NOT.

Dear Riffman
It is just about the word " values" .
take care
Krim

it's great, but the rape thing is a very complex story.
we have to keep in mind that the rapist will be wasted. so if we arent very very cautious, women could get a real power to kill men. all she have to do is to cry and little and say "he rapped me"... and the man is dead.

we can see that even in Morroco, a lot of men got accused of rape and then forced into a marriage after sleeping with a girl... no such thing as rape. the crime was to dump the girl after or worse... being an interesting man like (being rich)...

the western world doesnt punish rape... or just barely (some years of prison, that's all)... so they cant understand this cautious stance toward rapes.

in general, i agree with most of you guys (except Chelhman who sounds too pro Western culture for my tastes), but i will add that if Musharaf is doing that to please his friends in the western world or just to look "cool"... he is a really a dangerous person...

fortunately for him, i cant judge people on the intent (i'm not god afterall) ... but it's sad to do such important changes just to please people who dont understand or who arent concerned...

Quote
Krim
NEWS CENTRAL/S. ASIA

.....
Those who accuse Musharraf of trying to introduce Western secular values into the country, staged demonstrations across Pakistan to protest against the changes, which they called un-Islamic.
.....

long way needed to understand the Western values.....then we can talk about introducing them.....it's easy to talk......

how can men who've never known what's right... fairness …..being well treated treat others well???.....I'm wondering?!!!

Ilhem2? there is bad western values... and once you start taking one or two, some other dude comes right after you and gets other values.

it's very hard to start a movement like getting "values" from another culture. because once it started, you cant stop it.

it's a dangerous process. if we dont want to finish like them. we have to to be extra cautious.
and for my part, i think that we shouldnt do a thing because of Western pressure. it's a principle. i dont trust these guys.

instead of wasting time debating about what makes a value good or bad, pro or anti western or whatever (like this is the issue) why don't we just all agree on something (i'm amazed that nobody said this loud and clear) whoever goes as far as considering marrying a 4 year old (or whoever isn't mature, for that matter) is a PEDOPHILE. that some people don't find it normal that such marriages should be banned is simply despicable. sorry to be ranting over this again and again, but think about it this way: if you had a 4 year old,would you be happy to marry her away to a perv, however nice and decent he might appear to be, for him to literally rip her inside out? sorry to be so crude, but sometimes, i feel i'm left with no choice: people debating western vs eastern values, like it's all down to that,like nothing else matters, but cannot see beyond that; to end this useless debate once and for all, let me say that some values are universal: the child's fundamental rights, for instance, and they include the right to live their childhood and be protected from sexual predators,which is just what those disgusting guys, who are to coward not to hide under the banner of islam, are.

Hi everyone,


LeMask,


those guys don't trut you either....don't worry.......

Let's get our people enough food to eat....decent home to live in and education for evryone....then....we can talk values.....those guys with "bad Western values" have ashived it for long time.......by the way for us as well?!!!....

think about it.........

Ilhem2? i think that it's preferable to die like a dog than to live like a dog...
i'm sorry, but i dont think we are so miserable. we have problems indeed. but the real problem isnt about starvation...

we need a quality life. family values. justice. education. a stable economy. less social injustice (less room between rich and poors)...

we have good countries. the problem is the system we live in. we waste time in politics and buying useless crap from them...

we waste too much money on luxury products... we waste too much money buying useless stuff...

Hi, everybody,

Quote
LeMask
Ilhem2? i think that it's preferable to die like a dog than to live like a dog...
i'm sorry, but i dont think we are so miserable. we have problems indeed. but the real problem isnt about starvation...

we need a quality life. family values. justice. education. a stable economy. less social injustice (less room between rich and poors)...

we have good countries. the problem is the system we live in. we waste time in politics and buying useless crap from them...

we waste too much money on luxury products... we waste too much money buying useless stuff...

Your opinion shows perfectly that you have no idea how miserable our people live....but how could you ?....like most Moroccans living comfortably in Western countries.....enjoying all the advantages of the modern society...they think the situation mustn’t be that bad back home as long as they are not experiencing it in their daily life...the reality is that we are more than miserable than you even imagine .....we still lack of the basic facilities.........as for wasted money in luxury products !!!....I don’t really understand which money are talking about????.....I suppose we are talking about Morocco not oil countries!!!...completely disconnected.....

the thing with the dog you’ve mentioned....most of our people live already like dogs .....they have no choice.....you as person may have the choice not they......just have a look in one of the slams in our believed country and tell me the difference between them and dogs.....

finally if you focus on real problems we may understand them and perhaps you may find some positive solutions instead on focusing on “them”.....they don’t care about your opinion .....and may be they even don’t know that you exisite.........

Dear Ilhem
Do you remember your advice ???
Please do not waste your time you said. this is a reminder.
About which dogs you are talking?
Theirs dogs are very well treated.
Take care

Hello,

Dear Krim,

thanks for your reminder....I neede it....I had something to say to this guy so I did....otherwise it's just wasting time....

as for teir dogs.....I can only agree...indead they are very well treated...


have great day