Sharia brutality on a raped girl in Bangladesh

by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
February 2, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1265/sharia-brutality-on-a-raped-girl-in-bangladesh

A teen-aged girl named Hena [14] was murdered by local Sharia Committee at Shariatpur in the southern part of Bangladesh. According to report, Hena, daughter of poor farmer named Darbesh Kha was forcefully abducted and raped on January 30, 2011 during late hours of the night by one Mahbub [40]. During this inhuman sexual abuse, villagers came on the spot at the hue and cry of Hena. At the same time, imam of the local mosque named Mofiz Uddin and a few teachers of Madrassa [Koranic School] led by Saiful Islam also came on the spot and instead of taking any action against the rapist, the Muslim clergies took Hena inside the Madrassa and locked her in a room. On the following day, the same imam and a number of members of the Sharia Committee in the village sat for trying Hena in accusation of 'immoral sexuality' before marriage. Later the committee decided to punish Hena with 200 slashes, while they took financial penalty of TK. 10,000 [US$ 150] only from the rapist.

During slashing, Hena became unconscious and she was rushed to the nearly village hospital where the attending doctors declared her dead.

After lodging of a murder case with the local police station, a few influential members of the local mosque committee as well as Sharia Committee are telling members of media that, Hena was involved in 'immoral activities' and the villagers caught her red-handed while she was having physical relations with a villager. Later the Sharia Committee punished Hena for such anti-Islamic and immoral activities. They denied admitting that Hena died due to slashing. It is further learnt that, a few political leaders of the locality are frantically trying to save the rapist and the members of the Sharia Committee.

Sharia Committees are gradually becoming influential in a number of Muslim nations in the world. Though such under the provisions of local laws, such committees are totally illegal, there has never been any action against such groups by any of the governments, as these Sharia Committees comprises influential leaders of the locality as well as members of various political parties and fronts.

On an average, only in Bangladesh, a few hundred rural females fall victim of such Sharia Committees and slashing as well other forms of 'Islamic Penalties' are very common in practice in such religious fanatic groups.

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