Women rights workers hold placards as they march during a rally to mark International Women's Day in Karachi on March 8. Women in conservative Pakistan have fought for their rights for decades, in a country where so-called 'honor killings' and acid attacks remain commonplace. (Photo by AFP)
Christian women are urging the government to curb draft proposals by a constitutionally recognized Islamic council in Pakistan to allow men to beat their wives.
"This is cruel. Women are already treated as second-class citizens in the country. The government should strengthen the existing pro-women laws and ignore these proposals," said Naseem George, who heads the Director Aezaz-e-Niswan Development Organization for women and women rights.
The Council of Islamic Ideology recently criticized the government's Women's Protection Act to safeguard women's rights as being "un-Islamic."
The law adopted by the Punjab Assembly in February, provides legal protection to women from domestic, psychological and sexual violence and calls for the creation of a toll-free abuse reporting hotline and the establishment of women's shelters.
The council is a constitutional body that advises the legislature whether or not a certain law is in line with Islam.
The Islamic council has now proposed its own bill saying that a husband be allowed to beat his wife if she defies his orders, refuses to dress up as per his wishes and refuses to have sex or does not have a bath after intercourse.
A beating will also be permissible if a woman does not observe hijab, interacts with strangers and provides monetary support to people without consent from her husband.
George said she plans to review the council's proposal with Muslim lawyers.
"The ulemas (Muslim clerics) are trying to push their own agenda and do not have any knowledge of the depth of Islamic faith," she said adding Christians need to beware of the repercussions of this draft proposal.
"Those who are allowed to beat their wives will not hesitate from targeting other vulnerable groups including religious minorities," George said.
Alice R. Garrick, executive director of Women's Development and Service Society, a ministry of the Church of Pakistan said the council is pushing back society to a hundred years in the past. "It is torture to beat women, whether it's lightly or harshly."
"Our country already has a bad reputation due acid attacks and 'honor' killings against women. The council's bill will only make matters worse," she said.
The Islamic council has also directed that female nurses not be allowed to attend to male patients and that women be banned from working in TV and newspaper, taking part in military combat, welcoming foreign delegations, interacting with males or visiting with strangers.
"Women have a equal right to work in the society under the constitution and it is impractical to stop their interaction with strangers," Garrick said.
"A large majority of nurses are Christian workers and it will not be possible to work with complete commitment under the proposed recommendations," she said.
Also, if a Muslim woman is forced to convert to another religion, the person doing the conversion is to receive a three-year prison sentence and the woman will not be killed if she reverts to her Muslim faith.
Pakistan's independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in a statement May 27 said it did not want to "dignify with any comment the ridiculous Council of Islamic Ideology recommendations."
"It is difficult to comprehend why anyone in his right mind would think that any further encouragement or justification is needed to invite violence upon women in Pakistan," it said.