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Teufelswacht
Joined: 06 Sep 2004
Location: Land Of The Not Quite Right
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 Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:27 pm Post subject: Minister Murdered for Not Wearing A Veil |
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Female Pakistani Minister Shot Dead for Refusing to Wear Veil
A Pakistani minister and woman�s activist was shot dead Tuesday by an Islamic extremist for refusing to wear the veil.
Zilla Huma Usman, the minister for social welfare in Punjab province and an ally of President Pervez Musharraf, was killed as she was about to deliver a speech to dozens of party activists, by a �fanatic�, who believed that she was dressed inappropriately and that women should not be involved in politics, officials said.
Usman, 35, was wearing the shalwar kameez worn by many professional women in Pakistan, but did not cover her head.
The attack happened in Gujranwala, 120 miles southeast of Islamabad, where the minister�s office is based. As Usman, 35, stepped out of her car � where she was greeted by her co-workers throwing rose petals - the attacker pulled out a pistol and fired a single shot at close range, hitting her in the head. She was airlifted to hospital in the provincial capital Lahore, but died soon afterwards.
The gunman, Mohammad Sarwar, was overpowered by the minister�s driver and arrested by police. A stone mason in his mid 40s, he is not thought to belong to any radical group but is known for his fanaticism. He was previously held in 2002 in connection with the killing and mutilation of four prostitutes, but was never convicted due to lack of evidence.
Sarwar appeared relaxed and calm when he told a television channel that he had carried out God�s order to kill women who sinned. �I have no regrets. I just obeyed Allah�s commandment,� he said, adding that Islam did not allow women to hold positions of leadership. �I will kill all those women who do not follow the right path, if I am freed again,� he said.
�He is basically a fanatic,� Raja Basharat, the Punjab Law Minister, said. �He is against the involvement of women in politics and government affairs.� A police statement added: �He considers it contrary to the teachings of Allah for a woman to become a minister or a ruler. That�s why he committed this action.�
�He killed her because she was not observing the Islamic code of dress. She was also campaigning for emancipation of women,� said Nazir Ahmad, a local officer.
Usman, a married mother of two sons, joined the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League after being elected in 2002. A strong supporter of the President�s policy of �enlightened moderation� - designed to tackle extremism - she was appointed to her current post in December last year according to her government biography.
In April 2005, she encouraged the holding of a mini-marathon involving female competitors in Gujranwala � an event which led to riots after police intervened to stop armed Islamic activists from disrupting the race. She also ran a small fashion business from her base in the town.
Shaukat Aziz, the Prime Minister, paid tribute to the minister, describing her as a �committed and dedicated politician�. �During her short span as minister, she took several steps for the welfare of the people of Punjab,� he said. Zobaida Jalal, the federal Minister for Social Welfare, added that Usman�s death was an �unbearable loss to the cause of women rights and their empowerment�.
General Musharraf, whose support for the US-led war on terror has caused consternation among Pakistan's hardline elements, has promised to address women�s rights as part of his more moderate agenda.
But analysts said that the murder of the female minister highlighted the failure of his government in curbing Islamic extremism. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in a recent report said that violence against women had increased alarmingly, with some of the incidents incited by Mullahs opposed to women�s emancipation.
Islamists also campaigned against the Women Protection Bill which was recently passed by parliament, which seeks to provide protection to women who have suffered discrimination under Islamic Sharia laws.
Women make up just over 20 per cent of the lower house of parliament, according to the country�s main human rights group, and there are three women ministers in the cabinet of the federal government.
But widespread discrimination against females continues to be a problem in what remains a male-dominated society, particularly in the countryside, where most Pakistanis live.
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,253125,00.html
If this has been covered on another thread, my apologies. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, fanatics will also attack schools in Afghanistan with girls even if the girls have their head covered, because they have these Wahhabi views that say girls shouldn't go to school. This thinking is generally found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, but in Saudi Arabia it is kind of dying out with more and more professional women rising through the ranks. They are afraid of empowered women obviously. I hope this killing will spark a debate for more crack down on abuses against women in Pakistan. This is just horrible. |
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Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
| This is just horrible. |
And, sadly, typical. |
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happeningthang
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| Pligganease wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| This is just horrible. |
And, sadly, typical. |
I always thought being a fanatic meant you were exceptional, rather than typical. |
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Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:16 am Post subject: |
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| Is it fanatical for a Muslim man in a Muslim country to believe the way this "fanatic" did? |
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ChuckECheese
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:55 am Post subject: |
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All women from muslim countries should protest against their men for equal rights.
If women did that, they'll probably shoot and kill all their women. Maybe that'll solve the problem completely by interrupting their reproductive cycle.  |
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happeningthang
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:00 am Post subject: |
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| Pligganease wrote: |
| Is it fanatical for a Muslim man in a Muslim country to believe the way this "fanatic" did? |
Well, to be described by Pakistani officials as "a fanatic" lead me to think that his actions are extreme. I don't know what Muslim men in Muslim countries believe, having never lived in one, or Pakistan in particular.
Believing something and assasinating a Minister based on it are very different things.
In 60s America, it's probably fair to say, there were more than a few people racist against blacks. Only one (officially) went so far as to shoot Dr. Martin Luther King. |
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jinju
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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| happeningthang wrote: |
| Pligganease wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| This is just horrible. |
And, sadly, typical. |
I always thought being a fanatic meant you were exceptional, rather than typical. |
Itsa typical for them. I think a fanatic in that part of the world actually hasnt killed anybody yet. |
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happeningthang
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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| jinju wrote: |
| happeningthang wrote: |
| Pligganease wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| This is just horrible. |
And, sadly, typical. |
I always thought being a fanatic meant you were exceptional, rather than typical. |
Itsa typical for them. I think a fanatic in that part of the world actually hasnt killed anybody yet. |
Maybe, but then again you think out of your a s s. |
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jinju
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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| happeningthang wrote: |
| jinju wrote: |
| happeningthang wrote: |
| Pligganease wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| This is just horrible. |
And, sadly, typical. |
I always thought being a fanatic meant you were exceptional, rather than typical. |
Itsa typical for them. I think a fanatic in that part of the world actually hasnt killed anybody yet. |
Maybe, but then again you think out of your a s s. |
hmmm maybe but I can get around the swear filter, you ass |
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Satori
Joined: 09 Dec 2005
Location: Above it all
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| Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:27 am Post subject: |
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| Reminds me of christians murdering abortions doctors... |
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ChimpumCallao
Joined: 17 May 2005
Location: your mom
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| Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:29 am Post subject: |
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i hope you're being sarcastic, satori....
if not, you're a bit late to the party as that horse has been beaten, brought back to life, and given another spanking. |
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