Panchayats: A Cultural Tradition Of Muslim Society

Furthermore, according to Hussain, honor killing is against Islamic teachings and morality and is a product of ‘pre-Islamic eras in the ancient culture of desert tribes’. It is a cultural tradition of Muslim societies; which is not practiced by many but few Muslim societies (Zaid, 2007). “Customs and religious beliefs can be deliberately mixed with the law to consolidate political, economic and social power to the detriment of less powerful women and men (UNDP, 2011).” Even attributing Panchayats as a traditional and cultural practice is misleading because culture is not static, fixed or a homogenizing entity but a constantly evolving, fluid structure that adapts to people’s lived realities. However, Panchayat system is hard to shake due to
It is considered to be fairer as people do not have to pay bribes to precede their case’. Additionally, the line of religion and culture is intentionally kept burred to buttress support for Panchayat. It is commonly believed that anti women practices that the Panchayat forum upholds are aligned with Islamic teachings whereas rights on property being inconsistent to culture are denied (SDPI). Research conducted in Afghanistan which can mirror Pakistani society, states that general public has little knowledge of Islamic law and believes that customary law complies with it overlooking the contradictions because Panchayats generally have a religious figure of the village on the participatory board to emphasize on cultural and religious convergence on Panchayat’s decisions (Max Plank Institute,
Women are projected as sacrificing and subservient beings; that fall as a victim against the cruelties of feudal society. They are complete strangers to the composition of panchayat system and hardly ever make an impact on the panchayat decisions by the virtue of their powers of persuasion and influence. They receive punishment without even participating; the male members of their family symbolically represent their cases. Women are commoditized into instruments of executing ‘justice’ for violation of both the formal law and of culturally-rooted notions of morality. In tribal communities, a woman exercising her right to determine the course of her love life is viewed as anathema. And so, as long as women hand over the reins of their womanhood and sexuality to a male guardian and a broader community, no one gets killed. But when they choose to command it, they risk their