Islamic activists in Multan, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, have threatened to burn down posters featuring images of women if city officials do not remove them within two days.
On Friday, the activists smeared three billboards put up by multinational companies in the city with black paint.
Also on Friday, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) officials suspended three senior policemen for failing to act against activists who smashed billboards carrying photographs of women two weeks ago.
The incidents came four days after NWFP voted to introduce the hardline Islamic Sharia law.
‘Contrary to Islamic law’
In Multan, the local leader of the Shabab-e-Milli religious group, Shehzada Babar, said daubing the billboards was “a token protest” to warn officials of further action.
Around 300 members of Shabab-e-Milli, the youth wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami group, took part in the protest at a busy intersection in the city, which lies 420km (262 miles) south of Islamabad.
Mr Babar said: "These multinational companies want to promote obscenity, lewdness and vulgarity by showing women in different poses.
“We will not let them do so.”
He denied the group was vandalising private property.
“It is they who are acting contrary to Islamic law by promoting vulgarity,” Mr Babar said.
Re: Pakistan Islamists threatened to burn down posters featuring images of women
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Originally posted by underthedome:
Islamic activists in Multan, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, have threatened to burn down posters featuring images of women if city officials do not remove them within two days.
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I have always argued that the electoral mandate of the religious parties should be respected, and even that the MMA should be part of the national government. But the laws of the land must be respected at all costs and order maintained, - thuggery, vandalism and ultimatums should be put down by the authorities. It's time the MMA and the religious parties learnt to effect change through the proper (democratic) routes, rather than these sort of illegal and chaotic acts.
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*Originally posted by underthedome: *
Malik, if they passed a local law to suppress the act of posting a woman’s picture publicly would you support such a thing?
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I would not support any act of supression, but if laws against 'indecency' are passed, then that would depend on the law(s) passed. As it is this is vandalism of property and is against the laws of the land, and action must be taken.
Note this incident happened in the Punjab province where the state i.e. provincial governement is not led by the religious parties. You must remember that whatever laws are passed by any assembly, provincial or federal can be struck down by High Courts and/or Supreme Court if it they deemed against the constitution.
As Malik said, the mandate must be respected, but the right of action by police and Judicial review of any laws that go against the constitution is always an option.
The question is why hasn't anyone registered a case with the police? Or why hasn't the government taken action on it's own? Defacing property and causing losses to businesses is wrong. If you want to protest protest if you want to effect change either setup a welfare association or go and start contesting for political office, but to take the law into one's hands is plain WRONG.
the problem with opposing these lame actions or registering cases with police is that these mullah types use the scapegoat of islam to further their own puritanical views. Now in a country with 70% plus illiteracy, would you in your right mind try to fight this logically? You would be labelled by these mullahtypes as a blasphemer or other assortment of words.
theyve been painting black, the images of women on signboards in lahore.....i bet if these hypocrits were given the option to either paint the picture or take it home, they'd take it home!!
Fraudia: The issue is simple, someone breaks the law you file a case and throw the book at them. Once you do that you set a precdent for others. The problem in Pakistan is not the MMA, the problem is a culture encouraged by the people at the top that if you have power or the ability to organise yourself the law can't touch you.
Zakk the problem is lawlessness, but if you speak up against actions of these groups you are right away labelled as an enemy of islam. forget JI, its lil rodent collegiate support group jamiaat used to try the same blackmail on other students...ask anyone from karachi U, dow medical, sindh medical, NED etc
I read in web page only today. Musharaf gave good speach saying no taleban aloved in pakistan. he right i am saying. one day mulla people firing posters and one day they saying no TV. very bad. put mullas in jail i am saying.
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*Originally posted by TomSawyer: *
I read in web page only today. Musharaf gave good speach saying no taleban aloved in pakistan. he right i am saying. one day mulla people firing posters and one day they saying no TV. very bad. put mullas in jail i am saying.
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general says no taleban
who was responsible for bringing the taleban to power in Afghanistan
mush can only talk