WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detailing federal investigations into the alleged corrupt activities of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The documents reference serious allegations of corruption and voter registration fraud by ACORN as well as the Obama administration's decision to shut down a criminal investigation without filing criminal charges.
The documents include background information on two specific complaints filed in October 2008 by Lucy Corelli and Joseph Borges, Republican Registrars of Voters in Stamford and Bridgeport, Connecticut, respectively, during the 2008 election season.
According to Corelli, on August 1, 2008, her office received 1,200 ACORN voter registration cards from the Secretary of State's office. Over 300 of these cards were rejected because of "duplicates, underage, illegible and invalid addresses," which "put a tremendous strain on our office staff and caused endless work hours at taxpayers' expense." Corelli claimed the total cost of the extra work caused by ACORN corruption was $20,000. Likewise, Borges contended that: "The organization ACORN during the summer of 2008 conducted a registration drive which has produced over 100 rejections due to incomplete forms and individuals who are not citizens..." Among the examples cited by Borges was a seven-year old child who was registered to vote by ACORN through the use of a forged signature and a fake birth certificate claiming she was 27-years old
Read it all here.
Thinking about ethics and current events (Began 1 April 2008)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Responses to Radical Islam
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo
This paper is published to promote discussion of a vital issue in the contemporary Church. It is not intended in any way to impugn the Christian integrity of any of the people or organisations whose views are considered or critiqued.
Introduction: The impact of 9/11
Since 11 September 2001 (9/11) there has been a sea change in relations between Islam and the non-Muslim world, fed by the fear of a cataclysmic clash of civilisations and a war of religions. The devastating attacks by Muslim terrorists from al-Qaeda on the USA evoked not just condemnation of the violence but also a wave of sympathy for Muslims around the world, with Christians and many others in the West pointing out that most Muslims had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and asserting that their religion is peaceful.
The leaders of both the US and the UK governments, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, began to re-define the nature of violence and the threat posed by Islamic terrorism. They concluded in effect that there was no such thing as Islamic terrorism and that al-Qaeda was a heretical strain of Islam, a "virus" that had to be isolated, defeated and eradicated from mainstream Islam. Government policies in the two countries sought therefore to strengthen the institutions of Islam, driven by the rationale that the Muslim community should be brought into the mainstream wherever possible so as to prevent its radicalisation.
9/11 was followed by invasions of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), both part of the so-called "war on terror". The Muslim world believed that the West, in particular the US, was attacking Islam. The West on the other hand, led by Bush and Blair, increasingly asserted that there was no war on Islam but only a "war on terror", with the terrorists now increasingly defined as "criminals". This claim led to Western governments' effectively legitimising Islam as a valid religion, whose values are shared by Judaism and Christianity, and which they therefore regarded as for all practical purposes the same religion. The alleged legitimacy of Islam was promulgated within both the US and the UK and also around the world in order to discourage Islamic violence.
The unfortunate use of the word "crusade" by Bush alarmed Muslims, who already believed that the war on terror was being fought by an alliance of the US government, Christian fundamentalists and Christian Zionists against Islam. Evangelical Christians were in a quandary, as they were labelled both by Muslims and by the Western media as fundamentalists bent on fighting Islam and were treated as the Christian equivalent of al-Qaeda.[1] Many evangelicals responded by distancing themselves from the governments of their countries and their policies and by efforts to reach out to Muslims with gestures of peace and goodwill. As we shall see, these included active engagement in interfaith dialogue with Muslims and cooperation with Muslims in specific projects.
Read it all here.
Editor's Note: I find it interesting how often the Orthodox Church's response is ignored. Orthodoxy has so much to offer to the discussion about radical Islam. Many Arab Christians are Orthodox.
This paper is published to promote discussion of a vital issue in the contemporary Church. It is not intended in any way to impugn the Christian integrity of any of the people or organisations whose views are considered or critiqued.
Introduction: The impact of 9/11
Since 11 September 2001 (9/11) there has been a sea change in relations between Islam and the non-Muslim world, fed by the fear of a cataclysmic clash of civilisations and a war of religions. The devastating attacks by Muslim terrorists from al-Qaeda on the USA evoked not just condemnation of the violence but also a wave of sympathy for Muslims around the world, with Christians and many others in the West pointing out that most Muslims had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and asserting that their religion is peaceful.
The leaders of both the US and the UK governments, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, began to re-define the nature of violence and the threat posed by Islamic terrorism. They concluded in effect that there was no such thing as Islamic terrorism and that al-Qaeda was a heretical strain of Islam, a "virus" that had to be isolated, defeated and eradicated from mainstream Islam. Government policies in the two countries sought therefore to strengthen the institutions of Islam, driven by the rationale that the Muslim community should be brought into the mainstream wherever possible so as to prevent its radicalisation.
9/11 was followed by invasions of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), both part of the so-called "war on terror". The Muslim world believed that the West, in particular the US, was attacking Islam. The West on the other hand, led by Bush and Blair, increasingly asserted that there was no war on Islam but only a "war on terror", with the terrorists now increasingly defined as "criminals". This claim led to Western governments' effectively legitimising Islam as a valid religion, whose values are shared by Judaism and Christianity, and which they therefore regarded as for all practical purposes the same religion. The alleged legitimacy of Islam was promulgated within both the US and the UK and also around the world in order to discourage Islamic violence.
The unfortunate use of the word "crusade" by Bush alarmed Muslims, who already believed that the war on terror was being fought by an alliance of the US government, Christian fundamentalists and Christian Zionists against Islam. Evangelical Christians were in a quandary, as they were labelled both by Muslims and by the Western media as fundamentalists bent on fighting Islam and were treated as the Christian equivalent of al-Qaeda.[1] Many evangelicals responded by distancing themselves from the governments of their countries and their policies and by efforts to reach out to Muslims with gestures of peace and goodwill. As we shall see, these included active engagement in interfaith dialogue with Muslims and cooperation with Muslims in specific projects.
Read it all here.
Editor's Note: I find it interesting how often the Orthodox Church's response is ignored. Orthodoxy has so much to offer to the discussion about radical Islam. Many Arab Christians are Orthodox.
Imam Tantawi Dies
CAIRO, March 10: Top cleric Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi died on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia of a heart attack suffered while boarding a plane, state media said.
Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar — one of Islam’s highest seats of learning — had been in Riyadh to attend the King Faisal awards ceremony, Egypt’s official MENA news agency said.
Tantawi, 81, was boarding an early morning flight when he suffered severe pain and fell on the stairs, Egyptian television said. He was rushed to the Amir Sultan hospital in Riyadh where doctors pronounced him dead. An Egyptian official said that Tantawi had died of a heart attack.
The news of his death was “an indescribable shock”, his son Amr Tantawi told the channel. “The family has decided that since God chose for him to die on Saudi land, he will be buried in Al-Baqie” graveyard in Medina, he added. Tantawi was appointed head of Al-Azhar, the 10th-century university that has trained clerics from Africa and Asia, by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1996.
“The Islamic and Arabic world has lost a scholar and a jurisprudent” who was “dedicated to his work and to everything that served the good of Islam and Muslims”, Al-Azhar said in a statement.
Tantawi’s rulings on a wide range of topics, such as the veil, abortion, suicide attacks, women prayer leaders and female circumcision, often caused a stir in the Islamic world and beyond.
“Many did not appreciate the fact that Tantawi was involved in the country’s political affairs. But he was brave,” said Mohammed Al-Hizbi, 32, an Indonesian student at Al-Azhar.—AFP
______________
Editor's Note:
The Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abd al-Aziz bin Abdullah al-Shaykh, believed that Islam forbids suicide attacks. He also stated that he supports the Egyptian health ministry's ban on female circumcision despite a court decision to allow the practice. He said, "I support the health ministry's decision to ban circumcision because it is a medical and not a religious matter," in an interview published in the weekly Al Musawer on July 24, 1997.
"I still believe that concerning circumcision there are specialized doctors who should do the cutting. If they say excision is unnecessary, we should listen to them," he added.
Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar — one of Islam’s highest seats of learning — had been in Riyadh to attend the King Faisal awards ceremony, Egypt’s official MENA news agency said.
Tantawi, 81, was boarding an early morning flight when he suffered severe pain and fell on the stairs, Egyptian television said. He was rushed to the Amir Sultan hospital in Riyadh where doctors pronounced him dead. An Egyptian official said that Tantawi had died of a heart attack.
The news of his death was “an indescribable shock”, his son Amr Tantawi told the channel. “The family has decided that since God chose for him to die on Saudi land, he will be buried in Al-Baqie” graveyard in Medina, he added. Tantawi was appointed head of Al-Azhar, the 10th-century university that has trained clerics from Africa and Asia, by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1996.
“The Islamic and Arabic world has lost a scholar and a jurisprudent” who was “dedicated to his work and to everything that served the good of Islam and Muslims”, Al-Azhar said in a statement.
Tantawi’s rulings on a wide range of topics, such as the veil, abortion, suicide attacks, women prayer leaders and female circumcision, often caused a stir in the Islamic world and beyond.
“Many did not appreciate the fact that Tantawi was involved in the country’s political affairs. But he was brave,” said Mohammed Al-Hizbi, 32, an Indonesian student at Al-Azhar.—AFP
______________
Editor's Note:
The Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abd al-Aziz bin Abdullah al-Shaykh, believed that Islam forbids suicide attacks. He also stated that he supports the Egyptian health ministry's ban on female circumcision despite a court decision to allow the practice. He said, "I support the health ministry's decision to ban circumcision because it is a medical and not a religious matter," in an interview published in the weekly Al Musawer on July 24, 1997.
"I still believe that concerning circumcision there are specialized doctors who should do the cutting. If they say excision is unnecessary, we should listen to them," he added.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Imperialistic Liberals
Here are more examples:
New legislation now being proposed in the Massachusetts state legislature to ban circumcision of any male children, including Jewish children, comes very close to saying, "Yes, it should be a crime." Circumcision of infant males has been a requirement of Jewish faith and identity since the time of Abraham.
Meanwhile, just a year ago this week, two very powerful state legislators in Connecticut proposed a bill that would have had the government take over the finances of the Catholic Church. (It took a rally drawing thousands of folks to the state capitol to persuade them to withdraw the measure.
How did we reach the point where powerful people seriously consider such outrageous intrusions on religious liberty? These "shots across the bow" are skirmishes in a larger war between a newly triumphant liberalism and older American values, including pluralism, conscience protection and respect for religious liberty. [more]
H/T: Rick Lobs Blog
New legislation now being proposed in the Massachusetts state legislature to ban circumcision of any male children, including Jewish children, comes very close to saying, "Yes, it should be a crime." Circumcision of infant males has been a requirement of Jewish faith and identity since the time of Abraham.
Meanwhile, just a year ago this week, two very powerful state legislators in Connecticut proposed a bill that would have had the government take over the finances of the Catholic Church. (It took a rally drawing thousands of folks to the state capitol to persuade them to withdraw the measure.
How did we reach the point where powerful people seriously consider such outrageous intrusions on religious liberty? These "shots across the bow" are skirmishes in a larger war between a newly triumphant liberalism and older American values, including pluralism, conscience protection and respect for religious liberty. [more]
H/T: Rick Lobs Blog
Anglican Archbishop of Jos Seeks Peace
Following the murder of more than 500 people in the latest shocking violence in the Jos area, we reproduce here in its entirety an open letter from the Rt Rev Benjamin Kwashi, Archbishop of Jos. He describes local peace moves and rails against lack of government action
January 17th was a Sunday morning and as usual Christians left their homes to congregate in churches to worship. That day has since become a remarkable day in history with sad memories for Christian and Muslim communities in Jos and its environs. A few days after that, leaders began to gather to see how to resolve what the perceived problems, or real problems, or even imaginary problems were. I myself became a part of a group with industrialists, businessmen and women, academics and religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, to discuss these matters. We even spent a day at a forum listening to elders and religious leaders in Jos and spent another day listening to the youth. In all the conversations the Christians and Muslims spoke up frankly and aired their understanding of the grievances they have. We are in the process of putting together ideas as to how to move forward.
News then broke on Sunday 7th March that two other villages plus Dogo na Hauwa had been attacked by Muslim Fulani from about 3am to 5am. Some of these communities may never again be recognised in history because generations have been wiped out. Hundreds of corpses of men, women, children and grandchildren littered the burnt houses, roads, bush paths, farm areas and hiding places. Tears and endless wailings until voices croaked and words are no more.
Is there no other way by which matters can be resolved except through this sadistic and cruel way of making peoples’ lives miserable? For me, as a Christian, human life is so sacred that no-one, absolutely no-one, should tamper with it, no matter what religious faith you belong to.
Human life is so sacred and we have to teach and train people to value it: it is a gift from God.
What bothers my heart are a few questions:
• It was curfew time when these attackers came in and carried out their heinous activities. Who are responsible for these areas? What happened to those who should enforce the curfew? The purpose of the curfew is to stop events like this.
• Failure of government to provide full security for its citizenry leaves a people with very little option but to provide for their own kind of security. History has shown that these kinds of security are bred in vengeance, retaliation, bitterness, hatred and malice. This gives birth to an almost endless cycle of senseless violence as can be seen in many nations of the world today. Where is our government in all the levels of governance? Where were they on this night? Where were they on 17th January? Shall we continue to have the ugly sight of mass burials? Are there no leaders who fear God, who will swallow their pride and choose to be humble before God for the sake of those faces of slaughtered children?
• The new dimension these attacks are assuming is revealing a system of well-trained terror groups who right now have attacked these villages, and only God knows which community will be next. Their merciless precision and fearlessness should give any government serious concern. The earlier that these kinds of groups are rounded up, the better for everybody. I know as of fact of many Christian religious, political and community leaders who are willing and prepared peacefully to arrive at workable conditions for people to live with. I also know as of fact that there are Muslim religious, political and community leaders who are willing to find solutions.
I am convinced that the prayers of the church world-wide are ascending like a sweet smelling sacrifice to the throne of mercy. It is my firm determination to encourage all who trust in the Lord to keep praying and never give up. One day God will enthrone good over evil, truth over lies, righteousness over wickedness and justice over injustice. It may be soon; it may be later, but “My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary”. I urge believers to clean and clear their minds of any form of bitterness, resentment or even any thought of vengeance against one another from within the fellowship, and then we can see clearly how to respond in times of difficulty such as this one.
The promises of the Lord are true and the way of the Lord is just. The good news is: we do not have anywhere else to turn to. In the words of the apostle Peter, in John 6:68: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” These times call for a full turning of our hearts and lives to the Lord.
The Lord be with you,
+The Most Rev Dr BA Kwashi
Archbishop of Jos
From here.
January 17th was a Sunday morning and as usual Christians left their homes to congregate in churches to worship. That day has since become a remarkable day in history with sad memories for Christian and Muslim communities in Jos and its environs. A few days after that, leaders began to gather to see how to resolve what the perceived problems, or real problems, or even imaginary problems were. I myself became a part of a group with industrialists, businessmen and women, academics and religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, to discuss these matters. We even spent a day at a forum listening to elders and religious leaders in Jos and spent another day listening to the youth. In all the conversations the Christians and Muslims spoke up frankly and aired their understanding of the grievances they have. We are in the process of putting together ideas as to how to move forward.
News then broke on Sunday 7th March that two other villages plus Dogo na Hauwa had been attacked by Muslim Fulani from about 3am to 5am. Some of these communities may never again be recognised in history because generations have been wiped out. Hundreds of corpses of men, women, children and grandchildren littered the burnt houses, roads, bush paths, farm areas and hiding places. Tears and endless wailings until voices croaked and words are no more.
Is there no other way by which matters can be resolved except through this sadistic and cruel way of making peoples’ lives miserable? For me, as a Christian, human life is so sacred that no-one, absolutely no-one, should tamper with it, no matter what religious faith you belong to.
Human life is so sacred and we have to teach and train people to value it: it is a gift from God.
What bothers my heart are a few questions:
• It was curfew time when these attackers came in and carried out their heinous activities. Who are responsible for these areas? What happened to those who should enforce the curfew? The purpose of the curfew is to stop events like this.
• Failure of government to provide full security for its citizenry leaves a people with very little option but to provide for their own kind of security. History has shown that these kinds of security are bred in vengeance, retaliation, bitterness, hatred and malice. This gives birth to an almost endless cycle of senseless violence as can be seen in many nations of the world today. Where is our government in all the levels of governance? Where were they on this night? Where were they on 17th January? Shall we continue to have the ugly sight of mass burials? Are there no leaders who fear God, who will swallow their pride and choose to be humble before God for the sake of those faces of slaughtered children?
• The new dimension these attacks are assuming is revealing a system of well-trained terror groups who right now have attacked these villages, and only God knows which community will be next. Their merciless precision and fearlessness should give any government serious concern. The earlier that these kinds of groups are rounded up, the better for everybody. I know as of fact of many Christian religious, political and community leaders who are willing and prepared peacefully to arrive at workable conditions for people to live with. I also know as of fact that there are Muslim religious, political and community leaders who are willing to find solutions.
I am convinced that the prayers of the church world-wide are ascending like a sweet smelling sacrifice to the throne of mercy. It is my firm determination to encourage all who trust in the Lord to keep praying and never give up. One day God will enthrone good over evil, truth over lies, righteousness over wickedness and justice over injustice. It may be soon; it may be later, but “My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary”. I urge believers to clean and clear their minds of any form of bitterness, resentment or even any thought of vengeance against one another from within the fellowship, and then we can see clearly how to respond in times of difficulty such as this one.
The promises of the Lord are true and the way of the Lord is just. The good news is: we do not have anywhere else to turn to. In the words of the apostle Peter, in John 6:68: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” These times call for a full turning of our hearts and lives to the Lord.
The Lord be with you,
+The Most Rev Dr BA Kwashi
Archbishop of Jos
From here.
Religious and Social Factors in Nigeria Attacks
Nigeria’s bishops and the Holy See stress the conflict is more about ethnicity and politics than religion. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi expressed the Holy See’s “concern and horror” over the wave of violence in the country, and said Monday that it appeared the Christians had been attacked not for religious but for social reasons.
Speaking yesterday on Vatican Radio, the Archbishop of Abuja, John Olorunfemi, said the violence was the result of “a classic feud between farmers and herdsmen, the difference being that the herdsmen are all Muslim and the farmers are Christians”.
“It’s easy for the international press to simply report that Muslim and Christians are killing each other,” he said. “But this is not the case because the cause is not religious but has to do with social, economic, tribal and cultural issues and differences.”
In an article for the British magazine The Tablet this week, the Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama, wrote that the real underlying causes of the conflict are poverty, corruption and tensions between “indigenous” and “settler” communities, adding that religion has been “hijacked.”
“The aggressive use of the mass media and the promise of material prosperity give the impression that religion is not about eternal or supernatural values but about earthly progress and domination,” he wrote, before this latest outbreak of violence. “It is against this backdrop that the violent clashes in Jos took place in January.”
Religious leaders, he said, “need to reclaim its integrity and promote peace and reconciliation” and political leaders need to address the underlying causes, work for the common good, and stop using religion to score political points or “more bloodshed will follow.”
Read it all here.
Speaking yesterday on Vatican Radio, the Archbishop of Abuja, John Olorunfemi, said the violence was the result of “a classic feud between farmers and herdsmen, the difference being that the herdsmen are all Muslim and the farmers are Christians”.
“It’s easy for the international press to simply report that Muslim and Christians are killing each other,” he said. “But this is not the case because the cause is not religious but has to do with social, economic, tribal and cultural issues and differences.”
In an article for the British magazine The Tablet this week, the Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama, wrote that the real underlying causes of the conflict are poverty, corruption and tensions between “indigenous” and “settler” communities, adding that religion has been “hijacked.”
“The aggressive use of the mass media and the promise of material prosperity give the impression that religion is not about eternal or supernatural values but about earthly progress and domination,” he wrote, before this latest outbreak of violence. “It is against this backdrop that the violent clashes in Jos took place in January.”
Religious leaders, he said, “need to reclaim its integrity and promote peace and reconciliation” and political leaders need to address the underlying causes, work for the common good, and stop using religion to score political points or “more bloodshed will follow.”
Read it all here.
Sexual Harassment a Crime in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, March 9: President Asif Ali Zardari signed on Tuesday the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill, 2010, aimed at providing a safe working environment.
The president signed the bill at a ceremony attended by some 100 women activists, parliamentarians and members of civil society organisations in the presidency.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring equal rights for men and women in accordance with the Constitution.
“We have to create a Pakistan where the coming generations, my daughters, can be proud of the fact that they live as equals. We will make sure that those who wish to harm the ideology of the Quaid-i-Azam, which was for equality for men and women, shall not succeed,” he said.
The president, invoking the name of Benazir Bhutto, said: “We shall do our utmost by the end of this tenure. All the rights that we enjoy as men shall be enjoyed by women as well.”He recalled the commitment made by Ms Bhutto at the Beijing Conference and in the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly) document, and urged the government to seek guidance from her vision to achieve gender equality.Mr Zardari recalled the struggle and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto and said she was a symbol of strength, bravery and courage. “My wife was much stronger than me. She left a legacy for us to follow even she is guiding us from her grave.”
He said she coined the slogan “democracy is the best revenge” and said the whole philosophy of the Pakistan People’s Party revolved around that phrase - that not revenge, but freedom is the revenge.
He mentioned how Ms Bhutto would have felt when she walked into Sukkur jail at the age of 21 as she tried to fight for her imprisoned father.
“Fighting like no other person I have ever seen. And throughout her life she made sure that the legacy which her father gave life for stayed alive.”
He said history might remember him as a person who was “living a woman’s dream”. It was her dream that a woman in power would bring in the soft touch that the world needed amidst too much horror and said “what we need to emulate is gentleness, perseverance and the quality to bear pain”.
The president said both his sisters were members of parliament, while her two daughters would be back after completing their studies to serve the nation, along with their brother.
He paid rich tribute to the women who over the generations had strived for their rights since long and described them as “really a tribute to God’s divine creation.”
He also lauded the role of women which they played in history and said all religions accord them due regard, dignity and honour.
“Let us mobilise the collective power of women to help make our country, the region and the world more tolerant and secure for all,” he said.
The bill aimed at creating a working environment for women free from harassment, abuse and intimidation, he added.
He thanked all those who supported the bill in both houses.
Mr Zardari said the struggle for the rights of women in Pakistan had been long and difficult.
“We believe in equal rights and equal opportunities for men and women,” he added.
“On this occasion I urge all ministries to get going and adopt the code of conduct within a month, as laid down in this act,” the president directed.
“I also urge the private sector to cooperate in the implementation of this act, in letter and spirit,” he said.
The bill was unanimously passed by the National Assembly on Jan 21 and by the Senate on Feb 26.
Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Social Welfare, recalled the process of drafting the legislation.
The Alliance Against Sexual Harassment (Aasha), a civil society organisation, which has been working on the issue, has described the signing of the bill a milestone for women.
Aqsa Khan of Aasha said: “This is a true partnership of citizens and the government. We want the government to ensure its implementation.”
She said: “Pakistan now stands as a leading country in South Asia for having a specific legislation against sexual harassment at workplace.”
Dr Fouzia Saeed, a woman activist who remained engaged with the process for two years, said: “The government has honoured its commitment for a progressive social legislation. This is a breakthrough and we expect continued support to other such laws to make society more civilised and accountable.”
She said in a statement that women activists were thankful to Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Sherry Rehman, Raza Rabbani, Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naek and senior leadership of the PPP. She said they were also very proud of members of the Awami National Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and many progressive parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and the PML-N.
Overcoming years of conservative opposition, the National Assembly passed the bill to punish harassment of women at workplaces, though last-minute amendments extended the protection to men as an apparent compromise.
Punishment for the guilty, or violators of a code of conduct, will range from a censure to dismissal to an unspecified fine under the law.
The law defines harassment as “any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal and written communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature or sexually demeaning attitudes, causing interference with the work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, or the attempt to punish the complainant for refusal to comply to such a request or is made condition for employment.”
All organisations, including federal and provincial government ministries, departments, corporations, educational institutions, private commercial organisations and registered civil society associations, will be required to constitute inquiry committees of at least three members each – one of them a woman – to probe complaints and give their findings within 30 days to the competent authority concerned that will award recommended penalties.
Minor penalties will be: censure, withholding for specified periods of promotion or increment and stoppage at an efficiency bar in the time-scale, other than fitness to cross such bar, and recovery of compensation payable to a complainant from pay or any other source of the accused.
Major penalties are: demotion to a lower post or time-scale or to a lower stage in a time-scale, compulsory retirement, removal from service, dismissal from service, and fine, a part of which can be used as compensation for the complainant. “In case of owner (found guilty), the fine shall be payable to the complainant.”
An inquiry committee may recommend to an ombudsperson for appropriate action against a complainant whose allegations are found to be false and made with mala fide intentions while a party aggrieved by the decision of the competent authority may prefer appeal to the ombudsperson to be appointed by the federal or a provincial government.
Appeals against the decisions of an ombudsperson at the federal level can be made to the president and at provincial level to the governor concerned.
The statement of objects and reasons, accompanying the law, “is to create a safe working environment for workers which is free of sexual harassment, abuse and intimidation” with a view to enabling higher productivity and better quality of life at work.
“Sexual harassment is one of the biggest hurdles faced by working men and women, preventing many from working to get themselves and their families out of poverty,” the law says.
From here.
The president signed the bill at a ceremony attended by some 100 women activists, parliamentarians and members of civil society organisations in the presidency.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring equal rights for men and women in accordance with the Constitution.
“We have to create a Pakistan where the coming generations, my daughters, can be proud of the fact that they live as equals. We will make sure that those who wish to harm the ideology of the Quaid-i-Azam, which was for equality for men and women, shall not succeed,” he said.
The president, invoking the name of Benazir Bhutto, said: “We shall do our utmost by the end of this tenure. All the rights that we enjoy as men shall be enjoyed by women as well.”He recalled the commitment made by Ms Bhutto at the Beijing Conference and in the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly) document, and urged the government to seek guidance from her vision to achieve gender equality.Mr Zardari recalled the struggle and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto and said she was a symbol of strength, bravery and courage. “My wife was much stronger than me. She left a legacy for us to follow even she is guiding us from her grave.”
He said she coined the slogan “democracy is the best revenge” and said the whole philosophy of the Pakistan People’s Party revolved around that phrase - that not revenge, but freedom is the revenge.
He mentioned how Ms Bhutto would have felt when she walked into Sukkur jail at the age of 21 as she tried to fight for her imprisoned father.
“Fighting like no other person I have ever seen. And throughout her life she made sure that the legacy which her father gave life for stayed alive.”
He said history might remember him as a person who was “living a woman’s dream”. It was her dream that a woman in power would bring in the soft touch that the world needed amidst too much horror and said “what we need to emulate is gentleness, perseverance and the quality to bear pain”.
The president said both his sisters were members of parliament, while her two daughters would be back after completing their studies to serve the nation, along with their brother.
He paid rich tribute to the women who over the generations had strived for their rights since long and described them as “really a tribute to God’s divine creation.”
He also lauded the role of women which they played in history and said all religions accord them due regard, dignity and honour.
“Let us mobilise the collective power of women to help make our country, the region and the world more tolerant and secure for all,” he said.
The bill aimed at creating a working environment for women free from harassment, abuse and intimidation, he added.
He thanked all those who supported the bill in both houses.
Mr Zardari said the struggle for the rights of women in Pakistan had been long and difficult.
“We believe in equal rights and equal opportunities for men and women,” he added.
“On this occasion I urge all ministries to get going and adopt the code of conduct within a month, as laid down in this act,” the president directed.
“I also urge the private sector to cooperate in the implementation of this act, in letter and spirit,” he said.
The bill was unanimously passed by the National Assembly on Jan 21 and by the Senate on Feb 26.
Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Social Welfare, recalled the process of drafting the legislation.
The Alliance Against Sexual Harassment (Aasha), a civil society organisation, which has been working on the issue, has described the signing of the bill a milestone for women.
Aqsa Khan of Aasha said: “This is a true partnership of citizens and the government. We want the government to ensure its implementation.”
She said: “Pakistan now stands as a leading country in South Asia for having a specific legislation against sexual harassment at workplace.”
Dr Fouzia Saeed, a woman activist who remained engaged with the process for two years, said: “The government has honoured its commitment for a progressive social legislation. This is a breakthrough and we expect continued support to other such laws to make society more civilised and accountable.”
She said in a statement that women activists were thankful to Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Sherry Rehman, Raza Rabbani, Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naek and senior leadership of the PPP. She said they were also very proud of members of the Awami National Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and many progressive parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and the PML-N.
Overcoming years of conservative opposition, the National Assembly passed the bill to punish harassment of women at workplaces, though last-minute amendments extended the protection to men as an apparent compromise.
Punishment for the guilty, or violators of a code of conduct, will range from a censure to dismissal to an unspecified fine under the law.
The law defines harassment as “any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal and written communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature or sexually demeaning attitudes, causing interference with the work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, or the attempt to punish the complainant for refusal to comply to such a request or is made condition for employment.”
All organisations, including federal and provincial government ministries, departments, corporations, educational institutions, private commercial organisations and registered civil society associations, will be required to constitute inquiry committees of at least three members each – one of them a woman – to probe complaints and give their findings within 30 days to the competent authority concerned that will award recommended penalties.
Minor penalties will be: censure, withholding for specified periods of promotion or increment and stoppage at an efficiency bar in the time-scale, other than fitness to cross such bar, and recovery of compensation payable to a complainant from pay or any other source of the accused.
Major penalties are: demotion to a lower post or time-scale or to a lower stage in a time-scale, compulsory retirement, removal from service, dismissal from service, and fine, a part of which can be used as compensation for the complainant. “In case of owner (found guilty), the fine shall be payable to the complainant.”
An inquiry committee may recommend to an ombudsperson for appropriate action against a complainant whose allegations are found to be false and made with mala fide intentions while a party aggrieved by the decision of the competent authority may prefer appeal to the ombudsperson to be appointed by the federal or a provincial government.
Appeals against the decisions of an ombudsperson at the federal level can be made to the president and at provincial level to the governor concerned.
The statement of objects and reasons, accompanying the law, “is to create a safe working environment for workers which is free of sexual harassment, abuse and intimidation” with a view to enabling higher productivity and better quality of life at work.
“Sexual harassment is one of the biggest hurdles faced by working men and women, preventing many from working to get themselves and their families out of poverty,” the law says.
From here.
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