CII bill prohibits women interaction with 'na-mehrams' at offices, recreational spots

CII chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani announced salient features of the bill at a presser today.

The CII’s bill prohibits interaction between na-mehrams at recreational spots and offices, and bans ‘dance, music, and sculptures created in the name of art’.

“Husband has to fulfill all the financial needs of his wife, whether it be clothes, food, shelter or any other thing,” the CII head added. While defining women rights in Islam, he said Islam gives numerous rights to women.

Maulana Sherani said it was woman’s right to learn defence to protect herself from harassment or oppression. Woman can with her personal will work for defence of her country but she was neither responsible nor somebody can force her for it. However, the state can forcibly put men into its defence, if required.

Sherani said it was obligatory in Islam to kill a male apostate, but not a female apostate. You can try to motivate her to get her allegiance back with Islam but you cannot kill her.

The CII chairman also said that uniformed style of writing Quran should be adopted in Pakistan, which is traditionally being followed with many punctuation in the sub-continent, to avoid mistakes.

‘Light beating for wives defying husbands’

Earlier today, in another move seemingly aimed at ‘stifling’ women, the CII was in media spotlight for recommending some ‘controversial’ features [which were later approved] its own women protection bill, recommending ‘light beating’ for wives who defy their husbands.

The council has proposed that a husband should be allowed to ‘lightly’ beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires.

The CII-porposed bill was drafted after the the body rejected Punjab’s Protection of Women against Violence Act (PPWA) 2015 terming it un-Islamic. The CII will now forward its proposed bill to the Punjab Assembly.

The 163-page bill also proposes other different bans on women as well. However, the 20-member CII is a constitutional body which gives recommendations to parliament regarding Islamic laws. But the legislature is not restricted to abide by CII suggestions.

‘Ban on women seeking co-education’

Under the bill, CII recommends that there should be a ban on co-education after primary education, ban on women from taking part in military combat, ban on welcoming foreign delegations, interacting with males and making recreational visits with ‘Na-Mehram’.

The bill also says that female nurses should not be allowed to take care of male patients and recommends that women should be banned from working in advertisements.

The bill proposes that anyone who tries to force women to marry with the Holy Quran or facilitate this act should be awarded 10-year imprisonment.