Editorial
Put an end to this evil practice
Wider social awareness against it needed
WE are appalled at the incident of whipping of a 40-year old widow and a young man following announcement of "fatwa" by a self-arrogated local religious leader in Comilla. The victims were rounded up on alleged charges of having an illicit relationship and whipped in public. Reportedly, more than two hundred lashes of the whip on each of the accused have landed them in a hospital in critical condition. On top of it, both of them were fined Tk 30,000 each by the so-called arbitrators.
This incident reminds us of arbitrary edicts issued and enforced by so-called rural religious leaders perpetrating medieval atrocities on mostly young women in the villages of Bangladesh from time to time. If there is any complaint or dispute it should be taken to the normal court of law. We wonder how such men could take law into their own hands when the High Court declared the practice illegal in 2001?
Piara Begum, the widow and mother of five children, filed a case with the local police station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act accusing eight persons. The police acted promptly and arrested six persons including the fatwabaz. We strongly feel that the blatant violation of the law of the land deserves to be investigated properly and the violators tried in a court of law and given exemplary punishment. An expeditious trial and exemplary punishment would send strong messages to the exploiters of religion who might still be harbouring the motive of issuing such atrocious edicts.
These men continue to exploit the ignorance of the villagers and give wrong interpretation of religion to keep their sway in the community. Though mainstream religious leaders at the national level do not support this, yet small-time leaders under religious garb in the remote areas continue to defy the law. But to maintain stability and equilibrium in society, such people will have to be discouraged through taking strict legal action against them. People truly knowledgeable in religion can play an effective role in curbing the practice. At the same time, a campaign for building wider social awareness among the rural population has to be undertaken by the ministry of religious affairs as well as other ministries that work for social welfare.
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