Violence and the Stance of Clerics in
Afghanistan
By Jimmy C. Dabhi
Many clerics and
religious leaders have condemned the burning of the Holy Quran. This is
expected and it is right to condemn such acts of violence. Many people from
various faiths across the world have condemned the act of insulting the Holy
Quran and similar acts of disrespect and violence carried out by people like
Terry Jones. Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar have witnessed the strongest protests
which have resulted in violence and killings.
There have been
numerous protests across the provinces and some were led by religious leaders
and clerics. In a few places the protests turned violent and a number of people
were either wounded or killed. Some of the religious leaders have condemned the
killings others have justified them and some other have ignored them.
It is heartening
that people, and religious leaders in particular, are aware of their right to
faith in God and veneration of the Holy Quran. However it is disappointing that
some of these very leaders have turned a blind eye to atrocities and violence
against human beings created by the same God.
Gender based
violence in families and in various domains in society exists in Afghanistan
inspite of policies, laws and pronouncement – national (Constitution, Afghan
MDGs, etc) and international (Human Rights, UNSC Resolution 1325, UNSC
Resolution 1820, International Humanitarian Law, ICC etc). It exists because a
few people including religious leaders are violent and perpetuate and justify
it in name of religion.
Though societal
institutions like family, educational institutions, work places, religion,
media, the community and the government in Afghanistan are capable of gender
justice, they are guilty of promoting and sustaining gender discrimination.
Religious leadership is slow in condemning gender injustice and gender based
violence.
Often underage
girls are forced into marriage without their consent and religious leaders
solemnise these marriages. Some people feel that marriage in Afghanistan is, in
some cases, a form of sale in which women are traded to solve family disputes
or strengthen family bonds. In this context forced marriages of underage girls
often occur in defiance of the national law, which stipulates that women must
be sixteen years old to marry.
Some girls are
married off to men who are five times their age. The high rate of
self-immolation in provinces like Herat speaks volumes for the suffering women
go through. Observers say that in Afghanistan's traditional male-dominated
society violence against women, combined with the absence of the rule of law,
mean those who face such pressures have no way out and often turn to suicide.
As reported in
RAWA (February 16, 2011) news powerful locals of Takhar province killed one
girl and kidnapped another from the same family. Let me cite RAWA news of May
28, 2010 - The ruling by the Herat Religious Council also said Islam prohibited
women engaged in activities out of the home from wearing makeup. Announcing the
fatwa, a number of religious scholars asked the government to implement their
advice.
The clerics said
they could not shut their eyes to the current situation. Maulavi Muhammad
Kababeyane, deputy head of the council, said that travel without a mahram, or a
person she cannot get married to raised "questions about a woman's
piety".
Gruesome footage
of Sediqa's execution in North Afghanistan, captured on a mobile phone, was
broadcast around the world last week sparking an international outcry (The Scotsman,
February 05, 2011). This young woman was stoned to death. Her so called crime
was that she had run away from home because her father had sold her into
marriage with a wealthy relative. The killing apparently was supervised by a
few fundamentalist religious clerics. There are a number of incidents where
girls and women are thrashed and even raped.
Innocent people
are killed by extremists. These are not just isolated incidents in Afghanistan;
they are part of the social fabric and culture of a sizable population across
the country. One hardly hears of protest marches with religious leaders
appealing to the people that such violence against girls and women is against
Islam, against the Quranic values of compassion and mercy. Somehow religious
leaders and prominent people in civil society prefer to remain mute.
It is possible
that many Muslims who believe in the Rahim and Rahmat (compassion and mercy) of
Almighty may deep in their heart condemn such brutality in name of religion.
But they are afraid to speak up out of fear of the religious fanatics,
fundamentalist clerics and other religious leaders.
The fact of the
matter is that such cruelty especially against women goes unchallenged by the
very same leaders who are willing to justify the killing of human beings
responsible for the burning of the Holy Quran. The compassion and mercy
revealed in the Holly Quran and the violent attitude and brutality of these so
called religious leaders are conflicting to say the least.
Let me conclude by
stating that people who consider themselves guardians of the values of Islam
and the teaching of the Holly Quran are right in condemning the burning of Holy
Book. But the very same people fail to condemn violence and brutality against
innocent people, especially girls and women, who are also creatures of the same
God that the Holly Quran speaks about.
Unless common
women and men realise this dual stand and challenge the religious leaders and
religious fanatics the latter will continue to perpetuate violence in name of
Islam when the very name Islam stands for PEACE.
Jimmy C. Dabhi,
Ph.D, is a Visiting Professor at Herat and Bamyan Universities Afghanistan. He
can be reached at jimmydabhi@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment