NORTH WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE ADOPTS SHARI’AH

PAKISTAN

11 June 2002

Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province has adopted Shari’ah as the official law of the Province. Christians and other minorities face an uncertain future.

On 2 June the Frontier’s Provincial Assembly in Peshawar voted unanimously to make Shari’ah (Islamic law) the governing code in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). “From today, Shari’ah will be implemented in the province and there will be no place for those who refuse to follow it,” said Akram Durrani, Chief Provincial Minister. Under the new legislation where there is a conflict between current law and Shari’ah, it is Shari’ah that will prevail, although details are vague as to exactly how this would be applied in practice. A second measure passed on 4 June, the Hisba Bill, reportedly provides for the establishment of a provincial Shari’ah ‘judge’, a Mohtaseb (one who calls for account) as well as a Department for Vice and Virtue, i.e. a religious police force responsible for enforcing the Shari’ah similar to those in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Although the bill stipulates that Shari’ah will not be applied to non-Muslims, and local Christians report that no cases affecting them have yet arisen, they also believe it is only a matter of time before problems occur. Recent experience in North Nigeria has shown that despite initial promises the enforcement of Shari’ah ends up affecting Christians and other religious minorities as well as Muslims. In Iraq extremist Muslim vigilantes are currently imposing Shari’ah on Muslims and Christians alike. Speaking from Pakistan Meraj Khan, the manager of a local NGO, told the BBC, “My fear isn’ t about the chief minister or his ministers. It’s about the workers of the religious parties who take the law into their own hands and start to implement Shari’ah according to their interpretation.” Officials may turn a blind eye or even encourage such actions. Despite their reservations the NWFP’s small and vulnerable Christian community has had little choice but to accept the bill and give their notional support.

The campaign for the adoption of Shari’ah in the NWFP has been driven by the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six conservative Islamic parties which came to power in October 2002. The passing of the Shari’ah bill has given the MMA a much stronger voice in its demands for greater Islamisation in the other three provinces of Pakistan. The PML-Q (closely linked to Pakistan’ s military president, General Musharraf, and the ruling party in the country ’s National Assembly) needs the support of the MMA and has been forced to accommodate some of the MMA’s demands for the expansion of the role of Islam, against the instincts of the more moderate Musharraf.

However, there are indications that the enforcement of Shari’ah in the NWFP may not be tolerated. The federal government has sacked the chief of police and the top civil servant in the province for failing to stop Shari’ah vigilantes from attacking video and music stores and advertisement billboards. (Police have since taken action and several arrests of vigilantes have been made.) The province’s twenty-four district nazims (an official similar to a mayor) have resigned in protest, and on Sunday 8 June President Musharraf spoke out strongly against the MMA at a reception hosted by the Lahore Bar Association. It remains unclear exactly how the central government may respond to the adoption of Shari’ah in the NWFP.

PRAY

Pray for the strengthening and protection of Christians in Pakistan, particularly in the North West Frontier Province.

Pray that God will guide President Musharraf in his decision-making.

Pray against the spread of Shari’ah.

Pray that any conflict between provincial and federal government would be resolved peacefully and in the interests of equality of all citizens whatever their faith.

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