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Islam Don't Vote If You Can't Shed Burqa - Supreme Court Tells Muslim Momen

spnadmin

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Don't vote if can't shed Burqa SC tells Muslim women

New Delhi: In a statement of far reaching consequences, the Supreme Court on Friday said electoral rolls with photographs cannot be opposed on the grounds that they hurt religious sentiments.

"You cannot say I will still be a burqua-clad," a Bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice Deepak Verma said while hearing a petition which contended that publishing photographs of Muslim Gosha women was opposed to their religious belief.


The apex court even went on to say if having photographs on election identity cards and electoral rolls goes against religious tenets and hurts religious sentiments of a section of Muslim women, they can decide not to vote.

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“If they are so religious, don’t vote,” the Bench said.

Nadu’s M Ajmal Khan had appealed in the SC against the Election Commission’s mandate to carry photo identity cards for voting. Khan had also appealed against the EC’s move to publish electoral rolls with photos of Muslim women.

"Suppose you want to contest election, then what about burqua?” the Bench put a poser to Khan’s counsel V Balaji, stating that during polls, carrying photographs of candidates are put up all over a constituency.

The SC Bench, which posted the matter for final hearing after two weeks, said the photo identity card is necessary for the election purpose.

"Religious sentiments cannot override statutory rule", it said adding "voting is a statutory right and if you want to vote your photograph is necessary".

The Madras High Court had on September 7, 2006, dismissed a petition by Khan a few days prior to the Madurai Central by-election, holding that wearing of ‘purda’ did not form part of Islam.

The Supreme Court had in 2006 issued notices to the Election Commission on a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the High Court judgment upholding the EC's decision to release electoral rolls with photographs of voters, including Muslim Gosha women.

Assailing the order, the petitioner said the SLP was not directed against any election process but against EC's powers to interfere with religious affairs, a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution.

He submitted Muslim voters were not questioning the Commission's authority in issuing photo identity cards but their grievance was over its direction to print the photographs of women and circulate them with the electoral rolls to the public and political parties.

This decision interfered with the religious custom and preaching of the Holy Koran which laid down that Muslim women should wear ‘purda’, the petitioner said, adding that the electoral rolls should be used only by the officers concerned for verification and they should not be circulated to the public and political parties.

"Their publication was likely to wound the sentiments of the Muslim community as there was every chance of misuse of the photographs if the rolls were made accessible to unscrupulous persons," the petition said.
 

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Re: Don't vote if can't shed Burqa SC tells Muslim women

source:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/231454/Muslim-clerics-back-SC-say-okay-to-lift-veil-for-photo-ID.html

Muslim clerics back SC, say okay to lift veil for photo ID

Pioneer News Service - New Delhi - Sunday, January 24, 2010

Muslim clerics have backed Supreme Court directive that Muslim women must be ready to shed their burqa to be photographed for electoral role verification if they wanted to cast their votes. The clerics have argued that Islam permitted women to be ‘clicked’ in exceptional circumstances.

The apex court on Friday had said, “If you do not want to be seen by members of the public, then do not go to vote.” The observation came on a petition filed by M Ajmal Khan who opposed the Election Commission’s direction to get faces photographed for electoral roll verification. Since this would require Muslim women to show their faces to the election officers or poll agents, Khan had objected to the same practice being against the tenet of Islam.

Justifying the court’s observation, the clerics argued that electoral roll verification was not possible without revealing the face, which made it a “special need” for Muslim women to lift their burqa.

“I am totally with the Supreme Court order. When we have no objection to photos for passport for going to Haj, why should we object to this? This should not be made an emotional issue,” said Delhi Minority Commission Chairman and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Faruqui.

Reacting to protest from certain quarters against the court ruling, Faruqui said he would make an attempt to convince the community of the need for photo voter IDs. “I am sure they will understand the importance of having it,” he added.

Supporting this view, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind secretary and spokesperson Abdul Hamid Nomani said Islam allowed Muslim women to show their face if there is specific need. “What will be the relevance of a photo I-card with burqa. This is not a general situation in which purdah is essential. Some people mix up the special situations with the general ones. Religion gives permission for it in need. This should not be projected as a religious issue,” Nomani said.

Jamaat-e-Islami secretary Mujtaba Farooqi had this to say, “I think what the Supreme Court said is correct. Documents of the country’s citizens should be prepared and the provision of photo forms an essential part of such documents.” Farooqi maintained that even those who support purdah relax it for such necessary documents and Muslim seminaries have issued fatwa that photos of Muslim women can be taken if they are “need-based”.

Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid Mufti Mukarram Ahmed said that if a woman is seriously ill, she does not observe purdah from her doctor. “Getting photographed for election I-card or any such necessary documents is permitted,” he said. But his resentment with the court’s observation had much to do with the tenor of the statement. He felt comments on religious issues should be in keeping with the sensitivity of the matter.
 

spnadmin

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Re: Don't vote if can't shed Burqa SC tells Muslim women

Soul_Jyot ji

Thanks for this update. When the purpose of a photo is identification -- then it makes sense to lift the rule on lifting the veil.

But when that is extended to mandates against head coverings (as in France of late) and the turban is forbidden, then it becomes ridiculous. Because a turban does not cover the face, and does not get in the way of figuring out who is standing under it.

Well at least in this story some common sense is being applied. Well...for now anyway.

:happykaur:
 

Tejwant Singh

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It is nice to see that some common sense is creeping in the Muslim cleric groups. I commend the clerics' decision.

The basic goal of any faith, religion and creed is to give the followers the tools to enrichen themselves spiritually as human beings so that goodness in all can become the universal sunshine, with the result the darkness -ignorance- is dissipated.

But this sunshine can only enter when our inner windows are open and the curtains are lifted. There is no shame in it but the sense of liberty. It ceases to be hide and seek but just the latter.

When one seeks freedom, in this case the right to voice one's opinion through voting, then one must stand out if one wants to be counted as the torch bearer of liberty. One can not do that behind any veils.

As someone said, "Look me in the eyes and you shall see my soul".

Tejwant Singh
 

Tejwant Singh

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I would like to know why Muslim men don't wear a veil? There are some blokes near me who's faces I really don't want to see. :p

Randip ji,

Guru Fateh.

I totally agree with you.

Every faith should be equal opportunity religion for its followers. Having said that, the people in power who happen to be men in all faiths build dogmatic walls in order to forbid the other gender from climbing over them.

Breaking the so called glass ceiling is like trying to touch the moon while standing on one's toes.

Although Gurbani urges us macho men to treat women equally, we do not do that because we dwell in manmat rather than gurmat but with a beautiful looking Sikhi garb which makes a pretend shield.

Sadly to say that we have added many dogmas from our own manmat to this beautiful pragmatic way of life called Sikhi and hence distorting the true message of SGGS, our only Guru, on purpose.

If we did follow our only GURU ina truthful manner, then women would be Jathedarnis, Sevadaarinis and Keerantanis and the starting point would be Darbaar Sahib.

By breaking this dome ceiling, the sky would not be the limit for any Sikh woman.

Tejwant Singh
 

kds1980

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Despite all the discrimination in Islam percentage of non muslim women that are marrying Muslims is much haigher than non muslim women that are marrying non muslim men in the world
 

Tejwant Singh

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Despite all the discrimination in Islam percentage of non muslim women that are marrying Muslims is much haigher than non muslim women that are marrying non muslim men in the world

The reason may be that the Muslim men are better confidence tricksters than the Italian men are famous for. It is nothing to do with Islam per se.
 

kds1980

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The reason may be that the Muslim men are better confidence tricksters than the Italian men are famous for. It is nothing to do with Islam per se.

But the question is why do women even the educated one embrace islam despite knowing restrictions that are going to be imposed on them
 

Tejwant Singh

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But the question is why do women even the educated one embrace islam despite knowing restrictions that are going to be imposed on them

The answer lies in my post. It is called confidence trickery. And Muslims are very good at it.

Now the questions that should be asked, how many of them stay married happily? how many are forced to stay?how many run away? how many commit suicide?

I wish there were some mechanism to find that out.

I know about 10 Caucasian American women who are good friends of mine that were tricked into marrying the Muslims because Islam offered so and so, and are now divorced living here in the US.

All of them were enticed with lots of different goodies to visit the homelands of their hubbies when things started going south, but being educated and professionals, they smelled the dead skin and refused to go. 4 out of them are still fighting for the custody of their kids that the husbands kidnapped and took them to their native lands.

You are getting this from the horse's mouth.

Tejwant Singh
 

kds1980

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In this age there are plenty of websites that warn women not fall for these kind of traps
but still they hardly hear.The question is that is it the basic nature of women that If any guy behave like Hollywood or Bollywood hero in India they will fall for him? Also The media particularly the atheist and liberal one too put petrol in fire.Day and Night they propagate
that all religions are same blah ,blah.
 
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