Shafi out to stop women
Sumi Khan
Making suggestive remarks through an unabashed use of vulgar language, Ahmed Shafi compares women to a tamarind, a sour fruit that any man would like to taste.
“You women should stay within the four walls of your husband’s home, you should take care of your husband’s furniture and raise your children, your male kids. These are your jobs. Why do you have to go outside?” This is what Hifazat-e-Islam chief 93-year old Ahmed Shafi has to say.
The madrassah teacher who now heads Bangladesh’s emerging Islamist radical group as its Ameer thinks the conduct of women should be that of a ‘loyal, home-bound partner’ and nothing more.
Shafi warns women: “Do not come out of your house. Do not roam naked on roads and at stations, markets and fields. Beware! Do not go shopping. Ask your husband and son to do the shopping. Why would you go? Ask your husband to bring this thing and that. You just sit and order your son. Why do you have to take the trouble?”
Here is the video clip .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-cd6P-u4WY
Comparing women with tamarind, Shafi says in the video clip, “If a small boy is sucking on a piece of tamarind…. when you walk beneath a tamarind tree… when you go by a tamarind shop in the market, it makes your mouth water; women are worse than that.”
The Ameer of Hifazat-e-Islam, which aligned itself to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zialed 18-party alliance and actively campaigned for the alliance-backed candidates, in the recent polls to five city corporations, goes on: “Seeing women, your heart salivates in desire — desire to marry them, to enter into a love marriage or a court marriage. These women are like tamarinds. If you are studying with women day and night, your heart will not be able to control itself. You are walking on the streets and shaking hands [with women]; you will not be able to control your heart.”
“No matter how pious you may be, if you shake hands with a woman, your heart will start having evil intentions. This is a Zina of the mind, Zina of the heart, and soon it will turn into a real Zina, “ says an obviously perverted Shafi. And then he shouts,“If an elderly man tells me that he does not start having evil intentions when he sees a woman, then I will tell him: ‘Old man! You are suffering from impotency, your manhood has gone. That is why you do not get evil intentions when you see a women.”
I 'd like to warn Hifazat-e Islam chief Ahmad Shafi to stop acting like a prostitute .
Nicholas said Ahmad Shafi has been used by political forces like BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and others in the name of Islam.A true revolution can take place and these leaders are stopping the arrival of the spring. I do like to warn Shafi,a perverted old man ,Just Stop Now!!Otherwise the women of Bangladesh will give you proper reply!
The 93-year-old principal of the Chittagong-based Hathazari Madrasa is shown advising men In the video. He , who studied at the historic Indian institution Darul Uloom Deoband, commonly known as Deoband Madrasa, says, “Women go to schools, colleges and universities; let them study up to class four or five. After marriage, keeping record of their husbands’ finances is enough for them.”
"You are spending lakhs of taka for sending them to schools, colleges and universities. But, after a few days, your daughter will get a husband of her own, enter into a love marriage or a court marriage and elope. She will not remember her father.”
These comments by Shafi, who is considered by his followers to be a top Islamic cleric and their spiritual leader, comes at a time when women education in the country needs that much more extra focus and commitment. According to the 2011 survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, female literacy rate (all ages) is still 45.54 percent. This when Bangladesh hails the freedom of women and considers women’s participation as a key to development as everywhere else in the world.
Islamist leader Ahmed Shafi is totally against of liberty, education and employment of Women as he states is his outdoor speech to his followers. The video clip of his sermon is now available on Facebook and YouTube, the 93-year-old principal of the Chittagong-based Hathazari Madrasa Shafi, who also heads a Qawmi Madrasa Education Board.
The clip, which does not carry any date, provides a text: Islamic grand conference, venue: central Eidgah field, Hathazari, Chittagong.
In the video clip Shafi asks those present in his audience, “Why are you sending your daughters to work in garment factories?”
And he goes on with his sweeping views on these poor, need-driven garment employees, “She goes to work after Fajr Namaj(praying time) at 7/8:00am and does not come back even at 8/10/12 at night.”
The insinuation continues: “You do not know which man she is hanging out with. You do not know how much zina [unlawful sexual activity] she is getting involved in. Through zina, she is earning money, which does not bring prosperity [Barkat].”
According to the 2010 BBS report, employed female population in the country is around 17 million, which was around 10 million in 2002-03. Women employment is almost half that of male employment.Which is counted as a big progress of women empowerment policy of present state leader Sheikh Hasina. But it runs against the party’s policy to support these extremist Islamists that some leaders of the ruling party end up doing . Is that not political suicide!
I can remember A group of Shafi’s followers intimidated and harassed me last 5th April ,Friday. I faced obstruction and harassment from the activists of the Chittagong-based radical Islamist group . Who also assaulted Ekushey Television Reporter Nadia Sharmin at Bijoynagar and interrupted Financial Express Reporter Arafat Ara at Paltan when she was going to office. Female journalists were not alone to face the Hifazat harassment, Even the women garbage collectors were driven out from the rally area. And also working women who are way to home also face the Hefazat harassment.
Leaders of the group demanded imposition of restrictions on open movement of male and female together, from the rally organised in Motijheel of Dhaka and Damparrra of Chittagong to press for their demands, including action against the secularism and freedom of speech which named by them ‘atheists’. Around 3pm when I went to cover the sit-in program in Chittagong , Some Hifazat activists came to me and told me that admission of women to the rally is not allowed.
They said, ‘You resort to falsehood. You are Atheist .And You’re the agents of Ganajagaran Mancha. An aggressive group shouted me pointing finger, “Being a woman, why are you here? Cover your head and Just get out of here.” I replied to them, it’s my job to be present here. Who you are to ask me to cover my head? It’s my own buiseness“ .When they came to know I ‘m working with Al-Jazeera, a small group of Hifazat Islami leaders who looked ‘well educated ‘,used comparatively soft language asked me to get out from the meeting. And these ‘smart boys’ requested the mob of around 50 aggressive men not to attack me. And the same day another group assaulted Ekushey television’s reporter Nadia Sharmeen. who went to cover the rally at Shapla Chattar. As they pounced on Nadia and told her: “Don’t you know about our 13-point demand? Being a woman, why are you here? Just get out of here.” Again she told, “ At one point of the conversation they assaulted me. I took shelter in a car nearby and then they even tried to vandalise the car.” Later, several journalists tried to take Nadia to Bijoynagar where she was attacked again.“Fifty-sixty activists hurled brickbats and water bottles at me at Bijoynagar. They snatched my mobile phone and handbag having several thousand takas. Then they threw me on the ground and beat me up,” she said. Injured in the head, left side of the neck and leg, Nadia was sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Financial Express Reporter Arafat Ara said she was obstructed by the Hifazat men around 4pm at the Paltan intersection when she was going to office. “Several activists stopped my CNG (auto-rickshaw). Then they said ‘You’re not wearing scarf, so you can’t go this way’,” she told. “I asked why I can’t go just because I am not wearing scarf? It’s my personal business whether I wear scarf or not. Who’re you to talk about this? Then they got into an argument with me. At one stage I started for my office again ignoring their obstruction.”She said it is beyond anyone’s imagination that women would face such obstruction while going to office. “The women of our country attained progress in education and employment. Now there are moves to take us (and our progress) back.” A poor old woman collecting water bottles at Paltan atnoon was driven away from the area on the pretext that ‘it is not a place for females’.
Several women rights campaigners condemned the harassment of women by the Hifazat activists at a time when the progress of Bangladesh’s women is being acclaimed globally.
Hifazat e Islam, a Chittagong-based organisation, was launched on January 10, 2010, to oppose the newly adopted education policy and the amendments brought to the constitution in line with the spirit of its original 1972 version. The Islamist group took centre stage as a force opposed to the popular Shahbagh movement that began on February 5 to press for maximum punishment to war criminals.Hefajat’s 13-point demand, announced at its April 6 rally in the capital, includes a ban on all foreign culture, free mingling of men and women and candlelight vigils.The rally drew flak, and not only for these demands. Shafi states he is disturbed by the mobile phone. Terming these present times as an “age of mobile phone,” he says, “Students, both boys and girls, have mobile phones. The male students collect the phone numbers of female ones while female students go to schools and colleges and collect the phone numbers of male students. This is what is going on in the name of education.”
Women are involved in 17 out of 23 types of work in the agricultural sector. Women are also contributing a lot in manufacturing and foreign export earning sectors. According to an estimate, women make up 80 percent of the 3.5 million garment workers. Who are contributing a significant proportion to the GDP [gross domestic product] in Bangladesh.Adding that women’s role in the country’s economy is not fully recognised and unpaid work remains uncounted.About half the country’s 150 million population are women.
In his sermon, Shafi strongly opposes family planning and birth control.He suggests that men go for up to four marriages to increase the size of the Ummat [community of Muslims], mentioning that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) “had entered into 11 marriages”. As any man can follow this in as he wish . Shafi, who belongs very luxurious lifestyle , and use to move by helicopter -should investigated his source of huge money!
Women leaders of Bangladesh state are worried and said with anger , “ It seems that they want to take the country towards Afghanistan. But the people will never allow it.” Experts say It is not possible to make Bangladesh a middle-income country without the participation of women and without turning them into human resource through education.Mr. Gomes said, "you are no different than other Pro ruling party Islamic scholars".
Somebody use to say, dog is better than Ahmad Shafi, because he is betraying and playing with the good faith of ordinary faithful Muslims of the country.I must honor the dogs by not comparing them with any perverted and inhuman criminals .
If you are planning to bring back the old system, why do so many people need to die and wait for another five years of havoc?"Now is a high time for change. A true revolution can take place and these leaders are stopping the arrival of the spring .Hizb ut-Tahrir claimed that they are active in Bangladesh. Jamaat who is a key partner of BNP, is involved in the dirty political game of trying to usher a counter-revolution. Muslim Brotherhood’s lack of acceptance to any civilized society has been proved in Egypt recently. To save the society, there is no other way accept working for the establishment of secularism.
Now my question is who will save Bangladesh from this perverted and evil Shafi and his followers ? Prostitution is a profession, some extent prostitutes are forced into it by women traders. But Shafi is a man , who is forcing innocent peoples by motivating them by the name of Islam to assault , harass women , to bring darkness in our life. Women leaders and all Social activist groups will have to organize people against this evil force. Peace loving and Peacemaking peoples come and join to save our country from this unmitigated evil . Please
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