FSC to deliberate whether non-Muslims can become witnesses in rape cases
- October 30, 2013, 6:47 pm
- Business News
- 155 Views
ISLAMABAD, Oct 30 (Online): A five member larger bench of Federal Shariat Court (FSC) today (Thursday) will deliberate on the issue whether non-Muslims can become eye-witnesses in Zina (illicit relationship) cases?
The hearing is being held today under a petition filed against ‘Hudood Ordinance of 1979’.
In the petition, several reservations and questions have been raised pertaining to the definition of Zina and four witnesses and its related issues in the light of teachings of Holy Quran.
Another question, which focuses on; if the Quran insists on four eye-witnesses accounts of sexual intercourse to penalize Zina then according to this the witness of husband cannot be equivalent to four witnesses.
The other questions included in the petition are; does the Quran insist on all male witnesses?, does the Quran fix any minimum age limit for witness? And does the Quran empower the criminal Court to conduct any moral screening of witnesses to confirm Tazkiyah-tul-Shuhood?
