Two Bangladeshi women were whipped in public after an Islamic cleric issued a fatwa to this effect for their alleged involvement in anti-social activities, according to a Bangladeshi newspaper.
Piara Begum, a widow of 40, and Mamun Miah, 25, fell victim to the fatwa and were whipped in front of hundreds of people at Khaiyar village in the Debidwar district of Bangladesh, the report added.
Piara was whipped 202 times and Mamun 101 times. They were also fined with Tk. 30,000 each. Dud Miah, a village elder, said, ‘‘I executed the fatwa issued by local religious leaders. I was given the task as a senior villager.’’
Six people are under arrest in connection with the incident. Punishment under a fatwa is illegal as per a 2001 High Court ruling in Bangladesh, an impoverished Sunni Muslim country.
(See also: Bangladeshi Women Rights Group Calls For Exemplary Punishment To Those Who Issue Fatwa, MEMRI Urdu/Pashtu Blog, June 16, 2009)
Source: The Daily Star, Bangladesh, June 29, 2009
