NEWS- Rural Women Suffer "Fatwa"

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Subject: NEWS-   Rural Women Suffer "Fatwa" Tyranny

Rights-Bangladesh: Rural Women Suffer "Fatwa" Tyranny

               Inter Press Service
               29-JUN-99

               DHAKA, (Jun. 28) IPS - Teenager Badoi Begum died in her
               village home in Sylhet district, some 250-km east of the
               Bangladesh capital, late last month after she was
publicly
               caned on the order of the "fatwabaj" or local morality
               minders. 

               Her fault was that she had become pregnant as a result of
a
               relationship with a young man from the same village, and
the
               fatwabaj decreed that her crime constituted adultery and
she
               should be given 101 lashes in public. 

               The "fatwa" or edict issued was carried out immediately,
and
               the unfortunate girl died the next day from excessive
               bleeding and shock. 

               Police have arrested three people in this connection and
an
               investigation is underway, but the local people are
certain
               the fatwabaj will be set free because they are
influential and
               have money. 

               All across this mainly Muslim country these religious
               upholders of social morality increasingly wield
considerable
               influence among the largely illiterate and poor rural
               population. 

               Fatwabaj themselves are not conversant with the various
               aspects of the "Shariah," the Islamic laws, because of
their
               own poor education. Yet their frequently aired fatwas are
               heeded by villagers. 

               More than two dozen cases of women being publicly lashed
               and thrown out from villages were reported in the last
two
               years. But the actual number is probably much higher,
since
               mullahs (clerics) are the law in the remote rural areas. 

               Rural women are the main victims of the fatwa tyranny.
The
               fatwabaj have also got after the influential
non-governmental
               organizations (NGOs) of Bangladesh. 

               Shamsul Huq, director of the Association of Development
               Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB), an apex body of NGOs,

               said the recent activities of some fundamentalist
political
               organizations and religious groups have become a cause
for
               worry. 

               Fatwabaj have identified NGOs as their principal target
for
               trying to make rural women educated and self-reliant, he
               said. 

               Attacks on women's gatherings, NGO-run schools, NGO
               offices and even the felling of trees planted at the
initiative of
               voluntary groups have been carried out, he said, in
response
               to inflammatory proclamations by mullahs and fatwabaj. 

               Their anti-people activities must be countered with
public
               awareness raising campaigns before it starts to damage
the
               progress made in Bangladesh, he said. 

               Bangladesh has suddenly been witness to a gradual
               emergence of extremist groups like Hirkatul Zihad al
Islami
               and Kamaat-e-Tola led by leaders who are working covertly
               and overtly to bring about a Taliban-style Islamic
revolution
               in the country. 

               The attempt on the life of the celebrated liberal poet,
               Shamsur Rahman, by members of Hirkatul Zihad in January
               this year revealed the extent to which these groups were
               prepared to go. 

               The group has a hit-list of some prominent Bangladeshis
               who are known for their progressive views. 

               Police investigations into the assassination attempt are
               pointing to a link between the members of the Hirkatul
Zihad
               and Saudi-political fugitive Osama bin Laden, now living
               incognito in Afghanistan. 

               It is also estimated that since the Hirkatul Zihad was
set up
               in 1992, it has trained some 25,000 recruits mainly
students
               from "madrashas" (religious schools) who are
indoctrinated
               in an ideology that glorifies martyrdom. Most recruits
have
               been boys who are either orphans or from very poor
families.

               Intelligence agencies say the Hirkatul Zihad has links
with
               "terrorist" groups in the Middle East, Afghanistan,
India,
               Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Burma, and receive up to half a
               million dollars every year to carry out their activities
to make
               Bangladesh a fundamentalist Islamic state. 

               Leaders of the pro-Islamic political organizations have
issued
               fatwas denying women the right to be leaders, despite
both
               Bangladesh's most important leaders being women. 

               Former president and chairman of the Jatiya Party,
Hussain
               Mohamad Ershad, has been quoted saying in public that
               only male leaders can make Bangladesh a great country. In
               his opinion, the "days of woman leadership is over." 

               Syed Fazlul Karim, a religious leader and head of the
Islamic

               Constitution Movement, said "Islam does not recognize
               woman leadership. A country led by a woman can never
               make progress. A country with a woman leader is the
result
               of sins." 

               And Mufti Fazlul Huq Amini, a top leader of the Islamic
Unity
               Alliance, who says he is a supporter of Osama bin Laden,
               has urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed to establish
               Islamic rule. Otherwise her government would be toppled,
he
               has warned. 

               Ordinary people however, have shown they are not swept
               away by religious dogma. At the last general election in
               1996, only three members of the right-wing
Jamaat-e-Islamic
               won, compared to the party's strength of 18 in the
previous
               Bangladesh parliament. 

               Religious fundamentalism in Bangladesh has been losing
               ground, says Abdur Rahman of the left-leaning Workers
               Party.