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Pakistans Blasphemy and Hudood Laws

from JoeUser Forums
President Musharraf of Pakistan has today called on religeous clerics to review of both the Blasphemy law and the strict Hudood law.

The Hudood law covers crimes of adultery and rape.

Under this law, a rape victim has to produce four witnesses in court to confirm her assault, otherwise she can be tried on charges of wilful adultery while the rapist goes free.

Presumably a woman that has been gang-raped by ten men needs up to forty witnesses otherwise she has commited ten counts of wilful adultery.

The slut.

Meanwhile, the blasphemy laws that first came to Western attention when Salman Rushdie published his work Midnight Garden, which insulted the Prophet Mohamet, are also under scrutiny.

A fatwah, calling for his death was issue and never rescinded, apparently because fatwahs can't be rescinded.

Rushdies follow up books, called The 'Pope is a Pig' and 'Buddha was a Bastard' subsequently failed to win critical acclaim.

yechydda,
blogging
8,288 views 23 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
someone recently referred to that four witnesses thing to explain why the women in africa whove been sentenced to be stoned to death by an islamic court enforcing sharia had been improperly prosecuted. he stated that its so difficult to round up four people who can testify they saw the defendant actually engaging in adulterous acts, prosecutions are generally unsucessful.

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Pakistan is a country of extremes. I travelled there back in the mid eighties and found it to be quite an amazing place and the people were incredibly hospitable....but then I was a male travelling by myself. Also I was a tourist and so I was never going to see what happens deep inside their culture. The laws you mention have been in place for centuries and will take a long time to change, but with outside pressure they will change and these reviews you mention are a start. Thanks for letting us know.
BTW How do you get a fatwah taken out? Can you buy one?....it's just that there are a few people getting up my nose at the moment and it could be the answer
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
KIngbee,

he stated that its so difficult to round up four people who can testify they saw the defendant actually engaging in adulterous acts, prosecutions are generally unsucessful.


Exactly.

Not only is Sharia law a corruption of Islam, it is often inappropriately applied.

It tends to favour men in the example of sexual abuse and matters such as divorce.

yechydda,
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

I travelled there back in the mid eighties and found it to be quite an amazing place and the people were incredibly hospitable....but then I was a male travelling by myself.


Fascinating.

I had hoped to visist Pakistan on my current oddysey, but have been advised that unless I actually know someone there it is pretty risky.

If you know someone, then the risk is virtually zero.

Would you agree with this?

I had hoped to go hiking in Kashmir, but even now that there's an uneasy truce, it seems advisable to avoid the area.

Then again, because Kashmir's so huge, that's a bit like avoiding Ireland because of Belfast.

Have you written up any of your travels?

What were you doing in Pakistan at the time as a tourist?

I'd love to hear more Gerry,

from a fellow itinerant....

yechydda,
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
Valleyboy,
I went to Pakistan as part of an overland trip from London to Sydney. I started writing it up here but it is proving so long I will post it as a seperate article....hey I might as well get some points out of it. It will be a long one so I will put the different countries under individual headings so you can skip what you are not interested in. Anyway, if you read it I hope you find some of it useful.
All the best with your travels
Gerry
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Valleyboy,
It proved to be very long and it was only the first part but I realised after I started that I wanted to do it for myself. I called it something snappy like Travelling overland London to Sydney part 1....Sorry it does not contain the Pakistan bit, that will be in part2...it's 1.45 am here and I only got to Turkey...also I think the writing is pretty crap particularly towards the end as I am really tired. Check it out by all means but don't feel you have to...as I said I did it for myself too......now I am rambling so good night!!
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

Where have you written up your travelogue?

What's the name of your blog?

yechydda,
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
you never fail to come up with the most bizarre stories and commentary valleyboy... keep up the great work!
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
Valleyboy,
I started writing the article but then realised that I had never documented, for myself, the particular journey I want to write about and I would like to do that before I forget it completely. I went back and rewrote the first part and posted that. It was pretty late (1.40 am) by the time I finished and when I woke up this morning I decided that I had missed stuff out and that the writing (particularly towards the end was not good.) So I took it off line again. I will post it and I am grateful to you for prompting me to do it. But I beg your patience in this as, even for myself, I would like to get it right. I will let you know when I do as a comment on this post....probably in a few days time.
One thing you could help me with. I would like to stick in some pictures that i would scan but I am such a technological dinosaur I havent been able to work out how. Are you able to help me here?
Gerry
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Imajinit,

'You never fail to come up with the most bizarre stories and comentary valleyboy'

Are you saying that my commentary is bizarre?

Boo hoo hoo!

I'm going to sulk now and hold m breath till I pass ou.......

yechydda,
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

Take your time, good things are worth the wait.

I might be in Laos by the time you post it, so you may have to wait for a while before you get my response. I'm not sure what the connectivity is like over there if at all.

As for the pictures, I'm not sure how you do that either but someone around here must know.

I think you need to put it in some HTML and have the address of the picture inside. Or something like that!

yechydda,
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
Laos...wow! I think you should be posting your adventures....I would like to read them as well.....happy travelling!!
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top

you must not have stayed passed out for too long... 5 minutes later you posted another reply...


Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

Oh trust me I have several notebooks of stuff I need to write up.

The only trouble is that I'mm too caught up in what's happening in the geo-political sphere, everyday as I read in journals, here from letters and see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears the reaction to the ongoing disaster that is Iraq I find myself writing about that instead of my little adventures.

Laos should give me a chance to write up the journal into my little handheld and when I get to 'civilisation' (which these days I define as somewhere with an internet connection) I'm hoping to have removed myself from the political loop and get on with some decent travel writing and story telling.

More later, let's keep an eye out for each others travelogues!

yechydda,

Laos...wow! I think you should be posting your adventures....I would like to read them as well.....happy travelling
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
Imajinit,

you must not have stayed passed out for too long... 5 minutes later you posted another reply...


Okay smartarse, see how long you can hold your breath for before passing out!

yechydda,
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
valleyboy,
Glad to hear you are keeping a record. I did as well and will go over it when I write up my stuff. Definitely worth keeping records. I am looking forward to doing writing it all down....in fact I am going to start from the time I first left home and headed overseas backpacking. I know no one will read it but that doesnt matter as it will be like a journal for myself....I noticed someone else seems to be keeping a journal of a trip to Europe on here too.
I know what you mean by getting out of the political loop...its hard and I find new articles all the time to reply to.
Think my days on this site may be numbered though....just called one of Draginols articles trite.....hahaha
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

I know what you mean by getting out of the political loop...its hard and I find new articles all the time to reply to.Think my days on this site may be numbered though....just called one of Draginols articles trite.....hahaha


Curiously enough I just this moment saw that.

Go back and see my reply!

I've been a little selfish and refrained from joining in the whole Joeuser community (as in replying - though I do try and respond to people that are kind enough to respond to my articles) simply because I have too much writing to do as it is, my finger tips are callouses!

But it's been raining for the last two days in Chang-mai and I thought I'd venture out into the wider community, I'm well aware of the addictive nature of posting which is why I'm currently avoiding it.

It doesn't matter if people do or do not read your journal, the work in of itself will bring back those precious memories and times that you thought you'd forgotten.

I'm going to take the piss out of Draginol now, so oh well so what?

yechydda,
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
Saw your reply on his post it was excellent....didnt say so though because I felt bad enough giving him one comment even of one line....felt his article wasnt even worth that....it was just pure rubbish. Liked your other article too....never did trust those welsh bastards....I mean what have they got: coal, singing, coal, rugby, coal, rain...and of course coal clasic breeding conditions for your average terrorist.....
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

Saw your reply on his post it was excellent....didnt say so though because I felt bad enough giving him one comment even of one line....felt his article wasnt even worth that....it was just pure rubbish. Liked your other article too....never did trust those welsh bastards....I mean what have they got: coal, singing, coal, rugby, coal, rain...and of course coal clasic breeding conditions for your average terrorist.....


You will now notice that my reply has been deleted.

Clearly dissent is not suitable material on this blogsite, which is a shame, because technically it is far superior to anything free site that I have previously encountered.

This may well be my last reply to you, but stay in touch while I find a new blog site to publish freely without fear of offending the great God almighty.

Send me your email address if you're interested in keeping in touch to

[email protected]

and let me know when you finally publish some or part of your journals.

Presumably I will be able to comment on them here, even though I have been sent to the Gulag for daring to speak my mind!

yechydda,
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry,

Just realised.....valleyboy....Welsh.....hey didn't mean it about them........err you


Right!

That's it!

Uncle Joe says you're off to Siberia!

yechydda,
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
Valleyboy,
Good to hear that you are still on the face of the earth...where are you now?
My email is [email protected] (dont ask why yumcha)
I still like this site and I will stay within the bounds of what they consider acceptable....mind you it's the only site I have been on so let me know if you find somewhere new.
As for the travel journal....I will get there but I want to make sure it's right...also it's been busy lately with kids etc.
happy travelling...if you get a chance post some photos of your travels....
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
The book that provoked the fatwah was "The Satanic Verses", valleyboy.

Though I liked the book ideas for the Pope and Buddah!