Religion and State

Now this is a touchy topic, most people dont feel comfortable when discussing it.

Well educated and rational people often start defending the indefensible if it happens to be related to their religion.

These thoughts swirl in my mind as I think of Imrana bibi; raped by her father- in-law, the interpretors of Islam and Sharia suggest that she can no longer live with her husband or children as she has come in sexual contact with a blood relative of the husband. Hello? I thought she was the victim here...

Infact this is what the head of the local masjid of the village where Imrana belongs to has to say on the issue:

"After sex with her father-in-law, the girl has become haram for her husband. According to me she should accept her father-in-law as her new husband and her old husband as her new son."

Wasnt the torture and humiliation of the rape enough?

There is a debate raging through the country and different versions/interpretations of the Sharia are coming out almost daily. But my point is do we even need to have a debate on it? Shouldn't it be an open and shut case of rape with 7 yrs for the father-in-law as the law of the land perscribes? How can religious law take precedence over secular state law. Are we going to treat victims differently based on the religion they belong to? Isnt this the most blatant form of communalism?

Its nauseating to see a country with ambitions to participate in world matters and social justice across the globe not even able to handle such a basic requirement for her own internal well being.

As for Imrana, I can't even remotely imagine her plight. I wonder if she curses herself for even raising the issue in the first place...