IRFN (April 9-15): Pakistan Government Passes Sharia Law in Swat Region

Apr 15, 2009

Feature: The Becket Fund's own Ashley Samelson published this oped, titled The Freedom to Choose a New Faith, in the Wall Street Journal on April 10 on the topic of religious conversion.

1.  Saudi Arabia: Government to Regulate Marriage of Young Girls

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia plans to regulate the marriages of young girls after a court refused to nullify the marriage of an 8-year-old to a man 50 years her senior, Reuters reported on April 14. The justice ministry aims "to put an end to arbitrariness by parents and guardians in marrying off minor girls," Justice Minister Mohamed al-Issa told al-Watan newspaper, which is partially owned by members of the royal family. The minister's comments suggest that the practice of marrying off young girls will not be abolished. The regulations will seek to "preserve the rights, fending off blights to end the negative aspects of underage girls' marriage," he said. A court in the Saudi town of Unaiza upheld for the second time last week the marriage of the Saudi girl to a man who is approximately 50 years her senior, on condition he does not have sex with her until she reaches puberty. The U.N. children's agency UNICEF expressed on April 13 its "deep concern" over the Onaiza court ruling.  "Irrespective of circumstances or the legal framework, the marriage of a child is a violation of that child's rights," UNICEF's chief, Ann Veneman, said in a statement.

2.  Pakistan: Government Passes Swat Sharia Law

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has signed a controversial bill introducing Islamic Sharia law in the Swat region, the BBC reported on April 13. The move comes after parliament passed a resolution urging Mr Zardari to honor a promise made to the Taliban in February 2009 in exchange for an end to the Taliban insurgency. Mr Zardari had previously resisted signing the deal, which has been heavily criticized by his Western allies over concerns that it could lead to human rights abuses and that an Islamic government could potentially provide help to militants in the region. The bill introducing Sharia courts in the troubled Malakand division, comprising six north-western districts including Swat, was sent to parliament for consideration on April 13, and Sharia courts have already begun operating in the region.

3.  India: Orissa Christian Community Still Facing Hardships

ORISSA – In Kandhamal, deep in the interior in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, the community is still traumatized by a sudden burst of violence last year, 2008, described as the worst anti-Christian rioting in India since independence, the BBC reported on April 13. During the 2008 violence, dozens of people were killed, and hundreds of churches and houses were damaged or destroyed. According to local Christian reports, no-one will employ Christians as day laborers any more, and children are unable to attend school. Utsva, a member of the Christian community reported that "We have no protection and there is a sense of fear that at any time someone can attack us. So we try to sleep in the day and take turns to guard our place at night." Minati, also a member of the Christian community, noted that they have not had enough help from the government, and they do not have enough rice to feed everyone properly. More than eight months after violent rioting shook this district, there is little prospect that political change will make things any better. "There are peace committees," says Praful Mallick, one of the men living in the Kandhamal. However, Mallick has little faith in the committees as, he claims, they are run by the individuals who led the riots.

4.  Azerbaijan: Jehovah's Witnesses Denied Right to Associate

GANDJA – The discovery of house where Jehovah’s Witness members had been secretly meeting for religious gatherings resulted in arrests for illegal religious activity, the APA reported on April 10.  The Deputy Chief of Gandja, Yashar Ismayilov, reported that, in accordance with Interior Ministry’s plan on “Preventing radical religious trends from spreading religious extremism,” operations carried out on April 9 revealed that members of the Jehovah's Witnesses Christian sect, which is not registered in the State Committee for Religious Associations, had been holding illegal meetings in a private residence. 

Four members of the Jehovah's Witnesses community, including the owner of the house and the leader of the community, received administrative punishment. The rest of the Jehovah’s Witness members found at the house meeting received a warning.