I AM appalled, as I am sure most would be, at the heaps of ignorance showed by the Council of Islamic Ideology. Its proposed women’s protection bill shows disrespect to the noble traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) whose Sunnah in general, and his last sermon in particular, guides us to a civilised life.

How long will we let groups like the CII project a narrow vision of the Holy Quran by distorting its noble verses? The word daraba (Surah: 4:34), that perhaps led the CII chief to turn husbands into wife-beaters, is a complex word that needs more scholarship to understand than what this proposed bill exhibits.

I hope that the citizens of Pakistan would make sure that all legislation progresses in the true spirit of democracy, which is not alien to Islam. Indeed, such attempts at distorting the message of Islam are rejected by all Muslims, wherever they live.

Tahera Aftab

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2016