| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Police raids wedding halls |
| 2005-05-16 |
 ISLAMABAD: The district administration and police conducted raids at various wedding halls on Sunday and registered cases against two wedding halls, Pakistan Palace and Embassy Lodge, for violating the ban on serving food. The administration had issued notice to the owners. The case against the offending marriage halls has been registered under Sections 3,4 and 5 of the Marriage Act. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 Better than being at Ground Zero. |
| Posted by: jackal 2005-05-16 22:48 |
| #8 I wonder if the original Moslem prohibitions in this case were a reaction to the excesses in wedding back then? I try to remember that one of the reasons Islam was so popular back that was that it outlawed lots of the primitive extremes of tribalism. Unfortunately, in his efforts to modernize, Mohammed created no mechanism to accept continued modernization, leaving his followers at square one. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-05-16 21:08 |
| #7 "but the 8 yr old bridesmaid may be yours...for a price" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-16 19:33 |
| #6 Interesting role for a supreme court - upholding religious extremism. Thousands of years of common culture must vanish in order to achieve true islam. No music, No dancing, no rituals, no food. |
| Posted by: john 2005-05-16 18:43 |
| #5 From the blog of an English professor at Lehigh University: http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2004/11/no-wedding-food-for-you-and-freedom-to.html "BBC says the Pakistani courts have reviewed and upheld a ban on food at weddings, on the grounds that it is anti-Islamic. Well, to be more exact: The court ruled the ban was not against Islamic teachings and should remain in force as it discourages extravagant displays of wealth. The ban on serving food at wedding functions held in public places was imposed by the government in 1997. In practice, it is largely ignored as technically it only permits the serving of tea or soft drinks. To be fair, they have a point that South Asians put an inordinate amount of money into weddings. But banning food "for your own good" seems like a parody of totalitarian thinking. For Pakistan's Supreme Court, it's all part of de-Hinduization: The Supreme Court also described the practice of giving dowry by the bride's family as an evil and exploitative custom, and said the state should do everything to stop it. The court bench then went a step further to criticise some of the most popular customs linked to South Asian weddings, including the colourful rituals of mayun and mehndi (where the bride is decorated and prepared for the wedding) and baraat (a procession by the groom's friends and family to the bride's house), which are dominated by dance and music. The bench said these customs and even the giving of large dowries were all of Hindu origin and have nothing to do with the Islamic concept of marriage." |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-05-16 12:49 |
| #4 The only reason they'd be looking for an AK if it was in a tray of potato salad. And then they'd probably give it back. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-05-16 12:42 |
| #3 The district administration and police conducted raids at various wedding halls on Sunday ... How many AK-47's did they get? |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-05-16 11:58 |
| #2 Next thing you know... they won't let the bridesmaids flirt with the best men... Oh you mean they don't? Why would anybody want to go to a wedding then... Just for the gunsex afterwards? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-05-16 00:16 |
| #1 Why can't folks eat at a wedding? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-05-16 00:15 |