Submitted by Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Deutsche Welle reports a frightening and disturbing practice within Pakistan where newborn children are murdered due to the stigma of illegitimacy.
Warning: This article contains explicit information.
Adultery is often punished by vigilantism where family exact revenge against couples, often murderously. The children and mothers more often are targeted.
Nurse Razia Zulfikar of a maternity hospital in Gujranwala, Pakistan states that hundreds of children are killed simply by reason of the status of having unwed parents; a social taboo of society. The law provides a potential capital criminal offense stemming from pre-marital intercourse.
An eight-month pregnant girl came to us just a few days ago. We didn’t want to admit her to our hospital. After repeated requests from her family, we finally agreed to treat her. But we told the family explicitly that we would not kill the child,” Zulfikar told DW. “We gave the baby to the girl’s family. Only she and her family know what they did to the newborn, and how they killed him,” she added
A Pakistani welfare organization known as the Edhi Foundation estimated that 1,100 children were murdered and dumped into garbage bins last year. The figure is likely much higher as cases were tabulated only within large cities and not rural areas. Anwar Kazmi, a manager within the organization, describes the atrocities he and members of his charity have witnessed:
“A six-day-old child was burnt to death. We also found the corpses of babies who had been hanged, or who had been partly eaten by animals,” Anwar Kazmi, a manager at the Edhi Foundation, told DW.
“I can never forget one incident. A woman left a child in front of a mosque hoping that somebody would adopt him. But the cleric of the mosque ordered the people to stone the child to death. I saw the mutilated and torn body of the child myself,” he recalled
To address this painful issue, the Edhi Foundation began the Jhoola Project (meaning Cradle in Urdu) which encourages individuals to bring unwanted children and place them within cradles at foundation offices. This happens more often during the late hours and promises anonymous placement without fear of retribution against the mother or the child.
Edhi Foundation maintains over three hundred branches throughout the country.
Abortions are illegal in Pakistan with the exception of medical necessity to prevent harm to the mother. However this exception does not apply to unmarried women, leaving the mother to face persecution and perhaps the ultimately the murder of her child.
The murder of an infant in Pakistan is still a crime, but this unfortunately is not a deterrent to some who place their morals above the law.
By Darren Smith
Source:
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Doc:
So you have no problem with the sources I used today, but you still don’t like what they said because of completely different sources I’ve used in the past?
If I link to a HuffPo article, do I become a Liberal? If I link to a Labor Union article, because I agree with one point, do I become pro-Union?
🙂
Karen, the fact that she identifies as a non moderate Muslim and STILL posts Surahs that say infanticide is NOT permitted IS A GOOD THING, get it? Don’t we westerners WANT less moderate Muslims to follow the better aspects of Islam? If less moderate Muslims say infanticide is not permitted by the Quran it’s a POSITIVE, no?
I see it Doc, thanks.
I see nothing wrong with having a discussions about natural death.
Annie:
Did you actually read what you linked???
Perhaps you thought you were linking with a moderate, modern Muslim blogger, but this is actually more fundamentalist, although not extremist. It is true that there are Muslim countries that are far more extremist than this blogger.
From your own link:
“The Western society while claiming to improve the status of women has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies, who are employed as mere tools at the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketers hidden behind the colourful screen of art and culture.”
“I am not too concerned about the so called ‘modern’ ideas, conclusion, and categorical statements of scientists and inexperienced arm-chair experts on how life should be lived by women. I am more inclined to base my considerations and conclusions on truths which can be proven in experience. Experience and unbiased holistic factual analysis are the only sure test between the gold of truth and the glitter of theory.”
“Islam believes in equality between men and women. Equality does not mean identicality: it means equity. Islam presents the roles of men and women as complimentary roles and not contradictory or conflicting roles; the roles of partners with a common set of goals and objectives and not roles that conflict with each other with each of them having the objective of striving for supremacy.”
“There is no text in the Qur’an or the Sunnah which makes it unlawful for women to work or to do any lawful job or profession (provided it is within the modesty level and within the purview of the Shariah). If she is married she should take the permission of her husband.”
“Women have no financial obligations in Islam. It is the duty of the man in the family to look after the financial aspects of the family. Therefore under normal conditions a woman need not work and is not required to earn her livelihood or that of her family. However in certain genuine cases due to financial crisis in the family where both ends do not meet, she has the option to work with the permission of her husband Even in such conditions no one can force her to work and if she takes up a job it is by exercising her own free will.”
“As I mentioned earlier, the job should be within the limits of Islamic Shariah and within modesty levels. Besides the professional jobs I mentioned, they can work in industries and small scale factories which are so made that they exclusively employ ladies or have separate sections for gents and ladies staff. She can also engage in business and when required, enter into transactions with gents through a Mehram such as her husband, son etc.”
Modern, moderate Muslims in America do not live like this. Women are not required to ask permission of their husbands, and only work in places that employ only women. While saying that women have equality, the author strives to explain that this is not identical rights to men, and in fact wives are subject to their husband’s will.
In a similar sense, modern Christian women are not required to have their husbands explain Scripture to them, or burn a bull on the Sabbath, etc.
Personally, it does not bother me at all if people choose to live in a strict Muslim lifestyle here in the US, as long as they follow our laws. If a conservative wife uses her husband to interact outside of the home, or has an arranged marriage, it is her right of freedom of religion. I only care when our laws are broken, or when we financially support countries that seriously abuse human rights, whether for extremism or any other reason.
“Wouldn’t it have been more humane to abort a 12 week fetus?”
3 month old baby? Sure, why not. As long as you are just making up rights, why not 8 months? What about 18 months? Maybe we could get a referendum on the ballot and let each state determine what the qualifications are to be considered a desirable citizen. All those that don’t fit must serve those that do, leave the state or die.
Olly
You misunderstood my reference. It was to your post where you seemed to be warming us a a danger:
“Before long discussions will take place and some intellectuals will determine 75 might be the best age to prevent one from being a burden on society.”
It had nothing to do with Annie.
Although, you do seem to think that most everything has to do with Annie.
Paul, We all need to voice our opinions about Word Press every time a comment is eaten. JT needs to stop ignoring this unacceptable problem. He realized he couldn’t ignore the problems caused by people here and he finally did something about it. But, it took people speaking out for that to occur. The same needs to happen w/ Word Press. We passed ridiculous a year ago and are now approaching insanity regarding this 3rd world service. JT’s commenters are being disrespected by Word Press and ignored by him. I feel sorry for Darren having to deal w/ this horseshit. There is another way.
Nick – what is the solution to the WordPress problem. There is no use complaining when you do not have a better solution.
Karen,
Sorry. I should have been clearer. I do not trust many of your sources. AP and al jazzera are fine. Your political sources are totally unacceptable to me; i.e. Breitbart, Fox, End Times, John Birch.
Regarding women’s reproductive care in Catholic hospitals – it depends upon the Bishop. They are growing more conservative and often do not allow medical standard of care.
Nice try Doc, I didn’t say she shouldn’t participate. I said her contribution to a serious discussion would be useless if she closed her mind to ALL possibilities.
You bring up a good question though. Is participation in this blog protected speech?
Nick – I have said worse things about WordPress but not publicly. I am afraid that if I offend it, things will just get worse.
Doc, I love it when lip service is given to the 1st Amendment and when difficult issues are discussed, some would rather that others stay mum on the subject.
Olly,
So what the hell is wrong with some people having discussions that offer their opinion about death?
Aren’t such discussions protected under the 1st?
Meanwhile…. In the real world, in the misogynistic world of male dominated societies, women murder their infants. Wouldn’t it have been more humane to abort a 12 week fetus?
Doc:
My source was Al Jazeerah and the BBC! Hardly xenophobic or anti-Islamic.
Here’s an AP article on an illegitimate baby being stoned to death:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19821020&id=lfUgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I3UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3671,3719688
I fully understand your opposition to the Catholic Church’s refusal to allow abortion to save the life of the mother. However, it is my understanding that they do, but in extremely restricted cases:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_abortion
For instance, they would allow the removal of a cancerous uterus, an ectopic pregnancy, chemo, etc. The loss of the child would be a side effect of saving the mother, not the primary objective. There is also a wide range of opinions among Catholics on this polarizing issue.
But, although I was raised Catholic, I am no expert on Catholic Doctrine.
Although I’ve found multiple accounts of stoning illegitimate babies, I cannot say for sure if they’ve happened. What is certain is that women and children do not have equal protection under the law and in society in Pakistan. What is also clear is that the imams do not support the Edhi Foundation as promoting promiscuity. Clearly, imams are not helping the situation. I hope they change their minds and value these little children.
Misogyny is worldwide. Everywhere. It is cultural. It is also religiously based.
By the way, the fundamental difference between those cultures that permit infanticide and others that permit abortion is the degree to which they respect the natural right to life. When you allow government and the sovereign people to determine who has the right to live then you open the door to terminate life in the womb as well as outside of it. Before long discussions will take place and some intellectuals will determine 75 might be the best age to prevent one from being a burden on society.
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/
Olly,
I don’t sweep any issue under the rug. I often get in trouble with one person or another because I DO delve in and try to understand root causes. I doubt anyone who knows me would say I shy away from difficult issues, LOL.
Olly, Sooner or later everyone comes to that conclusion. We must all find our own path, I suppose.
http://www.islamawareness.net/Women/naik_women.html
This source says infanticide is prohibited under Sharia Law. There seems to be a vast difference in interpreting these Surahs from one country to the next.
Darren, Thanks much. The more carnage of women and children we see in the Middle East the more and more self absorbed feminists in the western culture are seen, whining about problems that are trivial in comparison. Feminists from around the world should make Islam’s REAL War on Women their singular issue.