REPLY TO THOMAS JUSTIN KAZE.

Submitted by Fazal Habib Curmally. (Pakistan), Sep 25, 2006 at 22:52

Dear Thomas,

Greetings.

Firstly, I went to Missionary schools in both Mumbai and then in Karachi Pakistan. I was nominated to sit for my dioscese exams because I excelled in the 4 Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles when I was in school. We were not taught Islam because when I was in school in the late 1940s and mid 1950s, we were British subjects then. Pakistan gained its freedon in 1947 and it took 9 year to frame our First Constitution and until that time, we were taught the Scriptures consisting of the Old and new Testaments and the Acts. Secondly, I am a born again Muslim.Not having being taught Islam, I had to learn it for myself.

I appreciate your giving me textual references, but may I remind you that the Fourth Surah , Surah Al-Nissa or The Women and verse 24 does not anywhere in any manner legalise or propogates Rape. May I suggest you re-read the Hadith you quoted to me. and show me where rape was condoned. If you have a problem in locating th Surah Al-Nissa and the verse, please write to me at fhcurmally@yahoo.com and I will gladly reproduce it for you or even guide you to a source in the USA who will be most happy to send you an English Translation of the Quran-E-Karim without cost..

As for what the site you indicated, I have little or no knowledge about it. But let me clarify what he Quran, the Sunnah and the hadith are. The Quran -E -karim, is the Book from Allah (swt). The Sunnah, is the life and actions of the Prophets an take second and final place in modern law. The hadiths are the sayings or the Prophet and there are 5 schools of law in Islam the Hanafi, Sha'afi, Maliki, Hamabli and Ja'afri. The first 4 schools are the Sunni schools and the last is he Shi'a school of law. These schools of laware the traditional schools and they have laid a lot of emphasis on the hadith which need not be accepted by the oher schools.

Pakistan's Constitution is clear that all Laws shall be in consonance with the Quran-E-Karim and the Sunnah only. The Hadith don't feature in the new law being defind in my country. personally, I hate to tell you that I believe in Women's equality and there is a discussion in my country about the law. In the Hudood Ordinance of 1979, no differentiation was made between adultary and rape the terms used are Zinnah for Adultery and rape is Zinnah bil jabar ( literally Adultery under force or compulsion) the circumstances are different. The Hudood laws do not prescribe or differentiate between Rape and Adultery and a differentiation has to be made if the law is to be equitable and Justice is done.

May Gods Peace and Blessing be with you. (This is are traditional greeting or at time of leaving or parting.)

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