POLITICAL SYSTEM: PART I , Books and Documents, NewAgeIslam.com

Books and Documents

POLITICAL SYSTEM: PART I

by Allama Ghulam Ahmad Parwez

Islam A Challenge to Religion

POLITICAL SYSTEM: PART I

By Allama Ghulam Ahmad Parwez

MAN-MADE SYSTEM

I. Primitive Age

ANTHROPOLOGY does not support the view that man ever lived a solitary life like the tiger or the lion. He was weak and defenceless against the powerful beasts that roamed about him. He could survive only through some form of group life. A band of men could survive under conditions in which a single individual had no chance, so early men naturally lived in groups. Some form of social Organisation is necessary for group life. Men can co-operate with each other only at the cost of their egoistic impulses. The dictates of group life invade individual liberty. The first social ties came from blood relationship. The groups were almost overgrown families. The authority exercised by the father passed into the hands of the patriarch, the head of the tribe. Custom regulated the conduct of the members, of this group. Primitive man believed that the customs of his tribe were unchangeable and inviolable. Patriarchal authority and rigid customs protected the social order and were an effective check to all kinds of anti-social activities in which individuals might be tempted to engage. However, a new authority enlarged in the group—this was the priest. His supremacy was founded on his expert knowledge of the religious ritual, and of correct behaviour in the temple and on solemn occasions. Ritual had gradually become very complex, and the patriarch had to place it in the charge of a professional man. Superstitious, a factor to be reckoned with in primitive life, lent powerful support to the authority of the priest. In a changing world no form of social organisation can be permanent.

http://newageislam.com/political-system--part-i-by-allama-ghulam-ahmad-parwez/books-and-documents/d/1834

PAKISTAN: Jirga courts and the murders they commit, Islamic World News, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic World News

PAKISTAN: Jirga courts and the murders they commit

In order to appreciate the destructive, random nature of the Jirga, its methods must be looked at. In a tribal court, witnesses and hearsay are the main forms of evidence and a verdict often rests on the reputation or power of a witness. Women are considered sexually corrupt, and their testimonies are never given any weight. In fact, in Jirga proceedings women are not allowed to participate. During a session spectators tend to gather, pick a side and heckle, putting pressure on the decision makers. Some spectators head to Jirgas for entertainment and needless to say, the most popular verdict may not always be a just one; it is difficult to reconcile justice with the will of an over-excited mob. In many instances, superstition also comes into play. In certain cases defendants have been told to walk on hot coals; if they feel and show no pain then they are deemed to be innocent. These are not conditions of a humane or rational system, and yet it is one that regularly deals out the death sentence.

The power of the Jirga has increased over the years because of failings in Pakistan’s existing legal system. Judgments can take years, even generations, and Pakistanis with small civil complaints often prefer to take the swifter route through local Jirgas because they have little faith in the system. It is from here that the Jirga’s advent into life and death judgments has grown. The likelihood of justice has become so bad that a Jirga-issued death sentence has become a way to resolve personal and political vendettas and property disputes (particularly by male family members who resent losing property to another family through the marriage of a woman relative).

http://newageislam.com/pakistan--jirga-courts-and-the-murders-they-commit/islamic-world-news/d/952

What if ‘safarnama’ undermines wisdom?, Books and Documents, NewAgeISlam.com

Books and Documents

What if ‘safarnama’ undermines wisdom?

By Khaled Ahmed

If you want to judge the statement that travel bestows knowledge and wisdom, don’t examine the contemporary Urdu safarnama because here the journey is towards inner darkness, not outer enlightenment. The perverse model is Ibn Battuta (1304-1368) who travelled in the world of Islam for 30 years and rejected anything falling outside its pale, including cities inhabited by Shias. The most comic incident is that when he reached China on an ambassadorial mission, he refused to leave his tent because he didn’t want to see a civilisation he disliked! Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) later complained that Ibn Battuta told lies in his travelogue. The book says so did Herodotus (484 BC–425 BC) but the difference was that, unlike Ibn Battuta, he wished to observe the Greek and the non-Greek alike.

Plato actually thought that it was dangerous to travel. He prescribed a routine for ‘purging’ the contaminated traveller on his return and to ascertain whether his contact with alien societies had not bred in him the desire to overthrow his own. He actually prescribed death if the traveller didn’t pass muster with a citizens’ inquiry (p.22). But Athens’ great lawgiver Solon (638 BC–558 BC) travelled to be able to theorise — theo in Greek also means to observe — and understand humanity under varied conditions. One suspects that he may have travelled to teach rather than learn, but here is where wisdom and knowledge was possibly the outcome. The writing down of the results of the travel is of course another thing altogether. It can land you in trouble; therefore, why not lie?

http://newageislam.com/what-if-%E2%80%98safarnama%E2%80%99-undermines-wisdom?-/books-and-documents/d/784

Ebadi protests against Iran’s polygamy bill, Islamic Sharia Laws, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Sharia Laws

Ebadi protests against Iran’s polygamy bill

Agence France-Presse

Tehran, August 04, 2008

Iran’s Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi on Monday slammed a government bill that would ease polygamy laws for Iranian men, saying it would bring “moral corruption” to society.

The “Family Protection Bill” — due to be discussed soon in parliament — scraps the need for the consent of the first wife if her husband wants to take another spouse. “This law will bring decadence and moral corruption to society,” Ebadi warned in the opening speech of an indoor protest meeting organised by her Defenders of Human Rights Centre.

The bill requires men to provide a judicial permit for a new marriage confirming they can provide financially for the new wife and that both wives will be treated equally.

But Ebadi said that these conditions were not enough, describing the bill a “tyranny” not only against women but also against men. The law implies that “if you have become rich overnight, no matter how, you can legalise your desires,” she said. “Isn’t it an insult to men and wouldn’t it shake the foundation of family?” she asked.

http://newageislam.com/ebadi-protests-against-iran%E2%80%99s-polygamy-bill-/islamic-sharia-laws/d/430