Bangladesh clerics warn interim govt against changing inheritance laws
Dhaka • Muslim clerics in Bangladesh have warned the interim government against going for a change in the inheritance laws of the country to achieve gender equality, officials said on Friday. The warning came from clerics who have been demanding Islamic Shariah laws in the Muslim-majority country.
Mufti Fazlul Haq Amini, who heads a privately-run madrassa in the old quarter of the capital Dhaka, called for the scrapping of the government’s National Women Development Policy which has been attacked by the radical Ulema Council for being repugnant to the Quran.
A government spokesman denied any move to replace the Quranic law of inheritance which gives daughters half of what sons get from their parents’ property. Radical Islamists have opposed any moves by previous governments to reduce the gap between male and female inheritors.
“None can change the injunctions of the holy Quran,” said Amini, adding that the move to amend the inheritance laws will be firmly resisted by the ulemas. The policy was formally introduced on International Woman’s Day earlier in the week by women’s affairs adviser to the government Rasheda Chowdhury.
Law adviser Hasan Ariff told a group of top clerics that the government has no intention of changing the inheritance laws. The statement from the law ministry is intended to appease clerics campaigning for a Quran-based society in Bangladesh.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
There are still those who defend the misogynistic principles of Islam from the antiquated days .
Yes, as exhibited in Bangladesh women truly have rights under islam in heritance. So obviously not . It definitely needs evolving. Human rights over religious rights, fair and equatable treatment for both sexes and not suppression by a patriarchal religion.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
it could have been a political question if the focus was on the political machinations underplay here. but if you wish to discuss the need for revising islamic interpretations of inheritance laws i think the religious forum is more appropriate
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
From the Peninsula, Qatar's English newspaper
Bangladesh clerics warn interim govt against changing inheritance laws
Dhaka • Muslim clerics in Bangladesh have warned the interim government against going for a change in the inheritance laws of the country to achieve gender equality, officials said on Friday. The warning came from clerics who have been demanding Islamic Shariah laws in the Muslim-majority country.
Mufti Fazlul Haq Amini, who heads a privately-run madrassa in the old quarter of the capital Dhaka, called for the scrapping of the government's National Women Development Policy which has been attacked by the radical Ulema Council for being repugnant to the Quran.
A government spokesman denied any move to replace the Quranic law of inheritance which gives daughters half of what sons get from their parents' property. Radical Islamists have opposed any moves by previous governments to reduce the gap between male and female inheritors.
"None can change the injunctions of the holy Quran," said Amini, adding that the move to amend the inheritance laws will be firmly resisted by the ulemas. The policy was formally introduced on International Woman's Day earlier in the week by women's affairs adviser to the government Rasheda Chowdhury.
Law adviser Hasan Ariff told a group of top clerics that the government has no intention of changing the inheritance laws. The statement from the law ministry is intended to appease clerics campaigning for a Quran-based society in Bangladesh.
Equality? not my sisters
First indicate the matter/text of the existing laws and then what are they proposing for change and for what reason are changes needed and why the clerics are opposed. Your post is totally devoid of any authentic substance to discuss. The post is trying to portray clerics against equality yet nothing has been quantifed in this post of yours.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
^
clerics oppose "any attempts by govt to reduce gap between men and women for inheritance"
"Daughters get half of what sons get"
What more details and quatitatives do you need?
Please do not throw random comments. Like I said, first get the exact content which is being changed and what are the arguments against it. Broad lines such as Clerics do this and Government wants that only lead to endless discussions.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
Peace All
There is a balance in Islam ... these myopic ideas of lessening the gap are counter-intuitive.
Males have to by obligation portion some of their money for their parents, some for their children/family, and wives. However, women's inheritence is her own, she has no obligation to portion that wealth to her husband, nor to her children nor to her parents, brothers or sisters.
These roles are part of a balance in nature if we disrupt that balance then we will end up creating unrest and inequitability. Equality should not be applied in any role related function except where it is sanctioned by Islam. Rights however are equal just as the rights of the manager and employee are equal, but responsibility is greater with the manager, as a result a greater accountability can be exercised over them and duly they are given more authority.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
The whole point on the male-female inheritance ruling is that a male gets double, because he's expected to share that wealth with his wife. Women getting half need not worry much about finances, as the male figures in their life have the main responsibility to provide for them.
Having said that, I don't see these same clerics getting gung ho about other reforms that are perfectly halaal, like microfinancing small industry for women to be able to earn on their own, etc. They selectively pick battles that favor them. Even though theoretically the inheritence laws make sense, we all know that there are families in which the male takes from his wife's inheritence, etc.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
Look, it is a straight forward question.
Why wouldn't sOn and daughter have equal rights?
If the only reason is Quran says, add it to the list of changes required to make islam equitable to all.
Otherwise it is discriminatory - no different from polygamy, 1st cousin marriage etc which give it a bad taste and name
Equal rights .... they do. Both have a right to inheritance. Let me pose a question to you. If you have one child 4 years old and another 15 years old. Its obvious the 15 year old will have more expenses. Now both of your kids have an equal right upon you that you bare their expenses but do both have an equal right to equal share of expenses given the age difference? If not why?
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
But then what do you do for those women who are single and never married, and therefore never have a male to support them in their later ages? Shouldn't she get more inheritance by the same logic as her need is greater?
Or what if one of your kids is disabled - do they deserve more portion of inheritence?
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
^ right there is the problem. If there is equal right, your example and hypothetical question would be " there are 2 kids of the same age, should they get equal share or not".
By using the 15 year old vs 4 year old examples you're implying men and and women should not have equal rights.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
The whole point on the male-female inheritance ruling is that a male gets double, because he's expected to share that wealth with his wife. Women getting half need not worry much about finances, as the male figures in their life have the main responsibility to provide for them.
Having said that, I don't see these same clerics getting gung ho about other reforms that are perfectly halaal, like microfinancing small industry for women to be able to earn on their own, etc. They selectively pick battles that favor them. Even though theoretically the inheritence laws make sense, we all know that there are families in which the male takes from his wife's inheritence, etc.
Hmm! I agree with what you have stated. Ideally if we were following such a setup it would be equitable however people themselves make it inequitable when they deviate.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
^ right there is the problem. If there is equal right, your example and hypothetical question would be " there are 2 kids of the same age, should they get equal share or not".
By using the 15 year old vs 4 year old examples you're implying men and and women should not have equal rights.
Nop that is not what I implied but rather how you read it. And you did not answer what I had asked. What I was getting at through my example was that right is not always reality. Who has greater need for the money in my example is the question? Please answer this.
Re: Bangladesh clerics warn intermim govt against changing inheritance laws
not necessarily. a man with 4 wives who lives in a saudi dessert might not need the same absolute number of dollars as a man in California whose wife just HAS to be the talk of the town with the latest Pakistani fashions and jewelry. I can honestly vouch for the fact that there are women out there who, just by themselves, are so high maintenance, that they can cover the quota of a harem.