American Pressure Against Muslim Laws in Pakistan

By Hussain Khan, Tokyo

Al-Jazeerah, February 15, 2007

Pakistan government has amended a 28-year old Islamic law promulgated in 1979 by the late President of Pakistan, General Zial-ul-Haq. It was enforced with consensus of all Muslims in Pakistan after months of deliberations and consultations with the Islamic scholars and well-known jurists and lawyers at that time. It is known as Hudood Ordinance. It was welcomed by all sections of Pakistan society.

Musharraf government has repealed its Islamic provisions by passing another bill on last November 15, 2006 concerning rape and adultery, known as Women's Protection Act.

This amendment is against the Islamic Shari'ah. Almost all the religious scholars of various sects and all the religious political parties have united to condemn it. They are continuously protesting against the new law. These protests are not only against the dictatorial regime of Gen. Musharraf, but also against the US. People believe that the present government is a puppet of America. Therefore it is acting under the US directives to repeal the present Islamic laws and to replace them with some secular laws, which the US administration could approve under its own special concept of religious freedom.

Islam has stood for religious freedom for the last fifteen centuries. Western historians like Bernard Lewis and others accept that minorities have been treated much better under Muslim rule than under the Christian one. But the US wants to impose its own brand of 'religious freedom' over Muslims and impose its will on their personal laws, which have nothing to do with minorities. During their colonial rule, the British gave full freedom to Muslims to observe their personal laws as they wish. Even the present Hindu-dominated government of India has given full freedom to Muslims to apply their own personal laws in their matters. But the US is not ready to allow such a religious freedom under its own brand of some other 'religious freedom'.

American attempts to change Islamic laws in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, and Iran etc. will only strengthen anti-American feelings among the Muslims all over the world. Religious freedom means that America should allow freedom to Muslims to practice their religion as they deem fit for themselves. This is not a territory where the US has any right to interfere.

A 1998 US report to Congress is especially devastating against the Zia-ul-Haq regime, as he had initiated Hudood Ordinances since 1979 and had established Shar'iah courts---all undesirable actions from the American point of view. This report is exclusively devoted to Pakistan blaming it since its birth in 1947 until 1998 for religious discrimination. It is available under the caption, “INTERNATIONAL VICTIMS OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION: LUDVICA BUKHSH in a Congressional Testimony dated June 16, 1998. But the latest report of 2005 is very appreciative of Pakistan, as the present government is dancing to the American tunes.

Much before the 9/11 events, Bernard Lewis wrote in 1990 in Atlantic Monthly a popular essay, 'The Roots of Muslim Rage'. He discussed several factors and one of them was imperialism. But, he questioned, “¦. If the (Muslim) hostility is directed against imperialism in that sense, why has it been so much stronger against Western Europe, which has relinquished all its Muslim possessions and dependencies, than against Russia, which still rules (in 1990), with no light hand, over many millions of reluctant Muslim subjects and over ancient Muslim cities and countries? And why should it include the United States, which, apart from a brief interlude in the Muslim-minority area of the Philippines, has never ruled any Muslim population. The last surviving European empire with Muslim subjects, that of the Soviet Union, far from being the target of criticism and attack, has been almost exempt?

The answer lies in the fact that, like the US, Soviet Union has never tried to impose its concept of religious freedom or any other religious ideas of its own over the independent Muslim countries and on their citizens. Religion is a matter affecting the daily lives of the believers. Trying to dictate any individual that he should lead his personal and private life according to the dictates of America will create such a strong fire of hatred that no amount of American financial aid can extinguish it. This is the answer to the question which arose in every American mind after 9/11, “Why they hate us? Islam, Quran and Sunnah are ingrained on the heart and mind of every Muslim so deeply that no amount of any reform could eradicate the concepts and beliefs each individual holds and has inherited from his forefathers, while this process is spread back to several centuries.

Presenting 2005 report to the Congress, which covers 197 countries, Condoleezza Rice says, This year, we have redesignated eight countries of particular concern: Burma, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam. These are countries where governments have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom over the past year. We are committed to seeking improvements in each of these countries, improvements like those we've actually seen in Vietnam, which have been further advanced by agreement on religious freedom that our governments signed just this last May (2005).

In the above list, the name of Pakistan is not mentioned. Non-inclusion of Pakistan in the above list means that the American government is satisfied with the progress or the promises made to it by the Pakistan government. Otherwise, like other Muslim countries, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Iran, Pakistan would also have been included in the list of boys with bad behavior in the eyes of American government. It is a certificate from the American government that Pakistan is behaving as a good boy, fulfilling all the wishes and demands concerning religious freedom, as defined by America.

Unlike Pakistan, US government is not happy with some other Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan, as these are the only countries in the Muslim world that are seriously trying to implement Islamic Shari'ah in their respective Muslim societies. This is not desirable for America. Therefore, for instance it has resolved to pressure Saudi Arabia to conform to American standards of religious freedom. The same report says, “In Saudi Arabia, freedom of religion does not exist and the government rigidly enforces conformity to the state-sanctioned Wahhabi tradition of Sunni Islam. How America applies pressure on other countries is clearly mentioned in the report in the form of following words: “In coming months we will press for the implementation of necessary reforms and improvements.

Similarly Sudan is also a country in bad books of America. Its biggest crime was that it was also on the road of Islamization, which America does not like. Therefore, the same report falsely accuses it: “In Sudan, Islamization has been the objective of the governing party and it continued to attempt to impose ``Shari'ah`` on non-Muslims in some parts of the country. The government continued to place restrictions on and discriminate against non- Muslims, non-Arab Muslims, and Muslims from tribes and groups not affiliated with the ruling party¦

Compared to Saudi Arabia and Sudan, the progress for implementing American agenda in Pakistan was not so bad from American point of view. The report says, “In Pakistan, serious violations of religious freedom persist, and we are working for reform. The government has maintained its public call for religious tolerance and has taken some positive steps, including revising the implementation of the blasphemy laws and Hudood Ordinances that have led to past abuses. The government has also made efforts to curb sectarian violence and end the teaching of religious intolerance through reform of the public education curriculum. We welcome Pakistan's consistent call for an end to religious extremism. We will continue to press the government on the need for further improvements on religious freedom. There is a clear indication of continuing to apply pressure on Pakistan in the words of the report, 'we will continue to press the government. Despite some mild complaints for slow progress in the implementation of American agenda, a feeling of appreciation and satisfaction is indicated in the words, 'We welcome Pakistan¦.'

In the above report a clear reference is made to Hudood Ordinances, about which America has 'continued to press the (Pakistan) government'. Hudood Ordinances have nothing to do with any minority in Pakistan. These are purely Muslim personal laws based on the teachings of Quran and Sunnah to be applied to Muslims only. Why the US has a right to 'continue to press the (Pakistan) government' to amend purely personal laws of Muslims according to a Christian US government's wishes?

This was a report presented to American Congress one year ago on 15th November 2005. During this one year, Musharraf government has proved that the satisfaction expressed by America in it was not misplaced, as it has 'reformed' Hudood Ordinance' as per American desire exactly one year after the report on the same date of 15th November in 2006. Such actions against the religious sentiments of Muslims by a puppet dictator of America in Pakistan will not contribute to make Muslims pro-American anywhere in the world and will eventually lead to defeat in the battle for winning hearts and minds of Muslims.