Divine Revelation

There has been a lot of hue and cry about the passing of a law WPA(Womens Protection Act) in Pakistan that amended the prevalent Hudood Ordinance( HO). The message coming out through the media was that the religious (Islamic) parties were opposing the amended new law, meant to protect the rights of women and save them from being exploited and oppressed. It was once again the bearded Mullahs versus the vanguards of human rights. We need to separate the wheat from the chaff and get to the bottom of the whole issue. I asked myself some basic questions, which I shall InshaAllah answer after careful study and consultation. Meanwhile you are free to comment on them....

1. What does Islam say about sex outside marriage?
2. What is Islam’s stand on consensual sex (promiscuity / zina bil raza) and rape (zina bil jabr…..) does it consider it in different light as regards accusation, providing evidence……?
3. What is the punishment for rape / zina if proved?
4. Is there any difference in punishment for married and unmarried convicts?
5. What will be the punishment for lewd behavior (they have not committed the act) ? Answers to the above 5 questions can be found by reading footnote number 2 of the second ayat of Surah Nur from Tafheem ul Quran (the Tafseer of Quran by Maulana Abul A'la Maududi)
6. Are raped women asked to bring 4 witnesses in Islam? Answer
7. Are raped women punished in Islam? Answer
8. What is Hudood Ordinance Pakistan? Click here to read it
9. Why was the Hudood Ordinance being opposed? The main objections to the ordinance were 1) women who alleged and then failed to prove rape charges were deemed to have confessed to zina (fornication) and were often jailed using HO 2) Often when women remarried, after being divorced, the first husband would using HO and claiming no divorce took place would file false fornication charges against ex-wife and second husband to harass them.
10. What amendments were recently proposed to the Hudood Ordinance through WPA ? To answer this question in brief i quote BBC news item "Until now rape cases were dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - if not they faced prosecution for adultery. Now civil courts will be able to try rape cases"
11. Why do the religious parties oppose the amendments?
12. Will the new rape law (after amending the Hudood Ordinance) promote free sex as suggested by a religious leader of Pakistan?

(16/11/2006) To be completed......

I finally got an excellent answer to all the questions I posed.....Please read this link

(16/01/2007)