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[organica]

islam ...... a peaceful sort of religious order
we just need to UNDESTAND these people right ?
it's ALL Bush's fault again of course ......

From Times Online
February 20, 2007
Female Pakistani minister shot dead for 'breaking Islamic dress code'

(Rahat Dar/EPA)
Zilla Huma Usman was an ally of General Musharraf and promoted rights for women in Pakistan
Devika Bhat, and Zahid Hussain in Islamabad
A Pakistani minister and woman?s activist has been shot dead 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.

Mrs 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 Ms 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.

Mr 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.

Ms 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 Ms 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.
  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1414 137.ece

[Jon Hodgson]

groundhog day wrote on Wed, 21 February 2007 13:09

islam ...... a peaceful sort of religious order we just need to UNDESTAND these people right ?

The victim was also a muslim.

So which person should we use to judge islam? The muslim who campaigned for women's rights, or the muslim who shot her?

Personally there is much about islam that i don't like... but they're not all wife beating suicide bombers.

[organica]

the last time the Vatican pulled a stunt like that was centuries ago
islamists do it daily ...... no ?
blame it on Bush ...... it's clearly his fault that she was killed

[Jon Hodgson]

groundhog day wrote on Wed, 21 February 2007 13:52

blame it on Bush ...... it's clearly his fault that she was killed

Of course it isn't.

But neither is it the fault of the muslim who lives down the road from you

[danickstr]

there may be more muslim extremists per capita than christians, as is evidenced by this story.  

Take off your burka, get a bullet.   Seems harsh, and I am not a big fan of the middle-eastern self-righteousness, so I really don't know what to do with them.

[Taproot]

They just don't listen sometimes.

[el duderino]

its extreme, but....

different places have different rules. breaking them also has different consequences depending on the rule and where you are.

bottom line is there are 3 options.. follow the rules, go somewhere else, or try to change the rules and accept whatver may happen because people are fucking nuts.

[Socrates]

Note to self: Cancel Britney Spears tour of Pakistan--change to a pay-per-view.  

[PRobb]

el duderino wrote on Wed, 21 February 2007 14:51

its extreme, but.... different places have different rules. breaking them also has different consequences depending on the rule and where you are. bottom line is there are 3 options.. follow the rules, go somewhere else, or try to change the rules and accept whatver may happen because people are fucking nuts.

No. No way. You don't shoot people because you don't like their clothes.

And there's no way this is Bush's fault. He's still the most dangerous man in the world, but this isn't his fault.

[maxdimario]

people get killed ALL the time for 'breaking the rules'.

it has to do more with what you could call mafia than government.

plus you don't KNOW what the killer's REAL motivations actually were.

for all we know it could be just another in the THOUSANDS of CIA-induced killings to gather american support for the war against 'arabs'

[el duderino]

PRobb wrote on Wed, 21 February 2007 22:32

el duderino wrote on Wed, 21 February 2007 14:51 its extreme, but.... different places have different rules. breaking them also has different consequences depending on the rule and where you are. bottom line is there are 3 options.. follow the rules, go somewhere else, or try to change the rules and accept whatver may happen because people are fucking nuts. No. No way. You don't shoot people because you don't like their clothes. And there's no way this is Bush's fault. He's still the most dangerous man in the world, but this isn't his fault.

I dont shoot people period.

but this guy did because her clothes were against HIS religious laws. she didnt follow rules SOME people believe. She also didnt leave where she was to do as she liked and avoid those who disagree. She tried to change the rules and this was the consequence.

Im in no way saying its justified, but like i said, people fucking nuts.

[Tidewater]

Jesus fucking Christ.

You guys are so totally fucked in the heads, I shouldn't have to tell you, but I will.

Byes Byes.


M