Dhaka - A demand to prohibit the Muslim clergy from issuing fatwa is gathering momentum in Bangladesh as 503 women have been subjected to public flogging since the year 2000. The issuing of religious edicts has not yet been banned. The high court declared it illegal in 2001; speakers said at a roundtable titled "No more fatwa" here Sunday. Speakers urged the government to make issuance of fatwa a punishable offence since 503 women have fallen victim to it. "Fatwa means legal opinion. Only court can give legal opinions. The man who announces fatwa has no legal authority to do it," Justice Mohammad Gholam Rabbani said referring to the judgment he passed in 2001. Full Story>>
503 women publicly flogged in Bangladesh http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/500-women-fatwa-victims-in-bangladesh-in-past-10-years-85380
