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| Bangladesh |
| Fatwa prevents women from voting in Chandpur |
| 2016-03-26 |
| [Dhaka Tribune] Parul Rani, 60, Lakshmi Rani, 50, and Rupa Rani, 22, live in Charpata village under the Rupsha Dakkhin Union of Chandpur’s Faridganj upazila. Like other women in the locality, they did not exercise their franchise in Tuesday’s Union Gay Pareehad polls. There are about 9,000 women voters in the union who have been staying away from polls following a fatwa by a pir. Locals said an Indian pir moved in there just after independence. Soon, an epidemic broke out during a local election. The pir issued a fatwa ordering women not to go out of house without properly covering themselves. Since then, women of all religion have stayed away from voting despite joining men in other social spheres. When asked why she did not vote, Lakshmi Rani said: "We do not go to polling stations as the Jainpur Huzur [the pir] said women of Union no 16 would not need to vote." Parul Rani told the Bangla Tribune: "I have never cast vote as no woman from the area goes to polling centres. But the new generation wants to exercise its franchise." Rupa Rani told the Dhaka Tribune that a Muslim holy man had asked them not to vote. "That is why I did not vote. But none from the government approached us." Primary school teacher Emily Begum rued the situation. "We cannot vote even though we want to, as our mothers and grandmothers stayed away from polls," she said. Faridganj Majidia Kamil Madrasa Principal AKM Mahbubur Rahman said women had every right to vote. UP chairman Billal Khan said many women stayed away from voting believing in a superstition while many were victims of dirty political practices. Faridganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Joynal Abedin said he had been raising awareness for a long time. "Women said they would go to vote but did not show up on the election day. The people are very religious. They stay away from polls to abide by an order of a pir." District Election Officer Ataur Rahman said 14 unions in Faridganj would go to polls in the third phase. "Women voters in Rupsha Union had been uninterested. The EC has told the returning officer and upazila election officer to bring women voters to polling stations with help from local imams." |
| Posted by:Fred |