by Mac for ASKEW
Dec 11 - 2006

Islamists in Pakistan demonstrated Sunday, protesting a change in Pakistani law. It is now official: rape is part of the Pakistani penal code, allowing victims to work through the criminal court system when seeking justice.

Formerly, Pakistani muslims operated exclusively under Sharia Law (law based on Islam) when it came to the act of rape. It wasn't a legal criminal offense - but family members could take retaliatory action against the perpetrator if four males had witnessed the rape, AND all were willing to attest to the fact. One may justifiably wonder, "Where in the history of the world has that scenario ever taken place?" Even if the incident did fit the definition of rape under Sharia, it was essentially a matter between men: one man had maimed the property value of another group's reputation or future family marriage prospects.

The new categorization of rape in Pakistan is not just a change in the way a crime is prosecuted. . . it is saying for the first time that the national legal code must be held higher than the local Sharia Law traditions. That is a concept which directly confronts the belief of Islamists, both in Pakistan and throughout the more fundatmentalist communities all over the Middle East: that in a perfect society, Sharia Law must trump everything else.

This is sure to be seen as a challenge to Islamist ideology and authority. With al-Qaeda in recent days streaming into the northern borders of Pakistan again, the argument sparked by the government's move could get louder - much louder...