Bangladesh Court Orders Police To Investigate Fatwa and Village Arbitration

Bangladesh's High Court has issued a directive to police to investigate extra-judicial punishments that are being meted out by village mullahs as self-appointed arbitrators who pronounce fatwas. Dhaka's Daily Star today says that poor women have often been the victims of the so-called fatwa and village arbitration. Some have been ruthlessly whipped. The paper applauds the court for attempting to end the practice, which the paper calls an exploitation of religious sentiments of simple people.