Bangladeshi police rescues unwed mother from Islamic punishment
Dec 19, 2006 - 9:52:32 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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Mahmuda became pregnant and on Nov 15 gave birth to a male child, who died after two days.
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By RxPG News Service,
[RxPG] Dhaka, Dec 19 - Police in Bangladesh have rescued a teenage vagrant from being caned as per a 'fatwa' - issued by a Muslim clergy on charge of becoming an unwed mother after a liaison with an influential father of two.
According to the fatwa announced last Friday by Abdus Sobhan, khatib of the Jawa Jame mosque at Chhatak in Sylhet district and an assistant teacher of a local madrassah, Mahmuda Begum was to be beaten in broad daylight with a bundle of bamboo canes 'till she bled copiously'. The arbitrators avoided the issue of punishing the adulterous Lala Miah, an influential man who deceived the girl, the New Age newspaper said.
Unaware of what was happening, the authorities got into action after local media reported the verdict. Police detained four persons for interrogation about the fatwa.
The girl's father Harab Ullah, a former freedom fighter, lives by begging. The local arbitrators, acting under the fatwa, forced the father to go to the local mosque with a garland of old shoes around his neck. He has gone missing since then, local villagers said.
Lala Miah, 38, established an extra-marital relation with Mahmuda more than a year back. He used to meet Mahmuda at the home of Jabaful Begum, the woman member of the local upzilla - committee.
She helped him seduce the hapless girl, enticing Mahmuda by telling her that he would marry her, said locals.
Mahmuda became pregnant and on Nov 15 gave birth to a male child, who died after two days.
She escaped punishment immediately after the verdict only because one of the appellants against her died, requiring postponement.
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