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'Brothel owner' freed after forced confession
Girl students of Jamia Hafsa on Thursday released an alleged brothel owner and her relatives, but only after forcing her to repent in public. The students kidnapped Shamim Akhtar, her daughter, daughter-in-law and a six-month-old baby from their house on the allegation that they were running a brothel on Tuesday night. They were released only after Shamim read out a statement to the press confessing that her house had been misused. I am under no pressure to say this and I also now plan to vacate the house where I live, she said at the press conference, at which she appeared in a veil alongside the head of the madrassa, Abdul Rashid Ghazi. Ghazi said Shamim had been given three options: seek forgiveness; face a case in the Federal Shariah Court; or stand trial in a Shariah court headed by a government-appointed judge in Lal Masjid. However, on her return home, Akhtar reporters that she had been tortured, mentally and physically. I was forcefully picked up, beaten and dragged along with my daughter, sons wife and a six-month-old baby to the madrassa, she said in tears. They beat us with batons and said the government cant do anything, and we had to read out a written confession. Male and female madrassa students had attacked her house, broken furniture, and taken away jewellery and Rs 25,000 in cash, she said. She said she had threatened to become a Christian over her treatment by the students. I dont think Islam allows anyone to beat a woman and drag her through the streets like a dog, she said. She said the students had wanted to get her house vacated and had been threatening her for quite some time. Shamims release followed hours of intensive negotiations between madrassa officials and the Islamabad district administration. A teacher of Jamia Hafsa said Shamim had identified several brothels in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and warned the government that if they were not shut down, the madrassa students would take the matter into their own hands. We want the government to take action against them, otherwise, we will handle the matter ourselves, said Bint-e-Abdul Wahid, a teacher at the madrassa. If the government does not move, we will move into action. That will be the first step towards enforcement of Shariah in the country. Wahid denied Shamim was beaten up during her two days of captivity at the madrassa. Posted by: Fred 2007-03-30 |
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