Asma Jahangir Quotes
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There are some societies where women are not even allowed to drive a car, and that restriction is based in the name of religion and tradition. There are other countries where a woman can be punished if she does not cover her head.
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Everything is a risk in Pakistan: If you defend women, it's a risk. If you defend non-Muslims it's a risk. If you discuss religion, it's a risk. But you can't really sit there like a vegetable in your own society. And I'm committed to that society... and I feel I need to turn around and speak as I should.
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We may fight terrorism through brute force, but the terror that is unleashed in the name of religion can only be challenged through moral courage.
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Past experience has shown that the Islamists gain space when civilian authority weakens.
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I cannot bear to live where there is so much injustice and I cannot do something about it. What kind of a torturous life is that?
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However flawed democracy is, it is still the only answer.
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Agencies must know who they are accountable to. If the agencies know who they are accountable to but we cannot say who they are accountable to, then really it is a very sad situation that is bound to be misused. It is bound to affect human rights.
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Divorce is the cheapest thing in Pakistan. About 30 cents. Cheaper than fish and chips. I've had clients married to very rich men for 40 years, then turned out on the road with nothing.
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If your people don't really believe or respect you, if you don't have the moral authority to rule, then your goose is cooked.
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The morality of a society is not judged by the behaviour of an oppressed class but by the rules and laws made by the state, which either protect or exploit an already depressed section of society.
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Look at the world, all the suffering... Being under house arrest is the least I can sacrifice.
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We want a country which is not isolated and where democracy rules.
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If state protects the rights of people, they start respecting the state.
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General Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator and unscrupulous political actor, used Islam as a pretext for waging war in Afghanistan and adopting an aggressive stance towards India. By advancing a more orthodox version of Islam, he was able to hold on to a repressive regime and quell any opposition.
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In bonded labour cases, judges would ask me why I had brought those people to the courts who stank. 'You are here precisely for them,' I would respond.
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In 1986, Pakistan got the blasphemy law. So, while we had just two cases of blasphemy before that year, now we have thousands. It shows that one should be careful while bringing religion into legislation, because the law itself can become an instrument of persecution.
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Duplicity in matters of religion is not confined to Pakistan, but it hurts the most in societies where debate on religion is asphyxiated and preachers of hate have become keepers of faith.
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My family has equally suffered abductions, attacks and life threats, but I have continued my struggle for justice.
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I had to face imprisonment and house arrests, but it made me tougher.
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I'm not fearful for myself, because I've seen adversity, and I can see it again. But I feel very upset and anguished when I see images of young lawyers beaten up.
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The Musharraf government has declared martial law to settle scores with lawyers and judges. Hundreds of innocent Pakistanis have been rounded up. Human rights activists, including women and senior citizens, have been beaten by police. Judges have been arrested and lawyers battered in their offices and the streets.
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There was a time that human rights was not even an issue in this country. Then prisoners' rights became an issue.
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We have the tendency of over-legislation regarding women.
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I suppose anyone who calls a dictator a dictator is 'dangerous' and 'imbalanced.'