The Swat flogging video — by Samar Minallah
At a time when the entire country was under the threat of militants, I not only brought the attention of the country to this video but also condemned it at the risk of my own life. Much to the disappointment of many “professional conspirators”, the video was made by the Taliban and not by me
A year has passed since we heard the screams of a girl from Swat and saw how she was flogged by the Taliban in open view of the public. The Taliban spokesman, Muslim Khan, admitted in clear terms that the Taliban had carried out this act. Not only did he say on international electronic media that the Taliban flogged the girl in public, he also admitted that the case had not been investigated properly before the girl was punished. In addition, he has said it on record that the punishment was not carried out in the manner prescribed by Islam, where a child is supposed to administer the lashes to women. And he said that the girl should not have been flogged in the open, in the clear view of the public. Having heard all that loud and clear on TV, are we still disputing the fact whether the incident took place or not? If an Islamabad-based NGO allegedly paid money to filmmakers and actors in Swat to make a ‘fake’ video, then did the Taliban spokesman also take money to say that the Taliban indeed carried out the flogging? For those who still think the entire country suffers from memory loss, please have a look at the video at this web address, in order to refresh your memory and help you decide sensibly: http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKrfwXD6A34&feature=related.
Much to the disappointment of our ‘conspiracy theorists’, the entire country condemned the incident. People came out on the streets and the Taliban and their supporters conveniently termed it as a western conspiracy and a video produced at the behest of “anti-Islam forces”. The same Taliban apologists are again attempting to engage the people in this nonsensical argument. They ignore how the Taliban used violence against women and men, cutting throats, hanging body-parts in public places and executing people without any judicial process. They seem to have conveniently forgotten all those gruesome beheading videos in CDs that were sold openly as ‘Swat-1’ and ‘Swat-2’. All this was not only filmed by the militants but also proudly owned and disseminated by them. None were ‘fake’, none were funded by any anonymous NGO based in Islamabad. The entire world knew about them. Alas, short is the memory of our many so-called armchair analysts! “Always tell the truth. That way, you don’t have to remember what you said” — Mark Twain.
An article recently published in a local English daily alleging that the video was fake, does not bear the name of a journalist. It does not specify the name or identity of the ‘Swati man’ who claims to have made the video. It does not give the name of the NGO that supposedly paid the ‘local actors’ for acting in the ‘fake’ video. If all these were paid actors, does that imply that the Taliban leaders who admitted that the incident had happened were paid too?
At a time when the entire country was under the threat of militants, I not only brought the attention of the country to this video but also condemned it at the risk of my own life. Much to the disappointment of many “professional conspirators”, the video was made by the Taliban and not by me. My role was merely to bring it to public attention. No NGO made millions by ‘launching’ the video because the video was already on mobile phones and the internet since weeks. The only thing “added” to it was open and clear condemnation from me.
In the words of Rehana Hakim from Newsline in April 2009, “Everyone, it appears, had been silenced into submission by the Taliban guns, including the ruling ANP government. It was shocking to hear an ANP spokesperson remark that the incident had taken place before the Swat peace agreement, and that the video clip released by a Pukhtun activist to TV channels was intended to break the peace-deal! Did the incident, whether it happened now or six months back, not warrant investigation or condemnation?” If this was not the ‘right time’ to raise a voice in support of the Pakistani girl who was flogged, can someone tell me when is the ‘right time’ to do such a thing?
Thanks to the distraction and maligning campaign, I have received death threats, my credibility has been questioned, again, but only by people who do not matter. The rest have given me strength and support.
The people of Pakistan came out onto the streets so that no other girl should be treated in this manner. As for myself, I have been giving voice to the women of this country for the last 15 years, and will continue to do so. I have spoken against all forms of violations and abuse against women. If the news item titled ‘Suicide bombers have set out in search of Samar Minallah’ (Daily Mashriq, April 8, 2009) could not deter me, nothing will.
Enough of gimmickry has occurred in the name of politics and religion! Now, for yet another u- turn, again for portraying the perpetrators of the past as the heroes of today, I and many other conscious citizens of Pakistan will not let the women’s voices be muffled yet again. For all the self-proclaimed analysts who sit on their comfortable sofas commenting on how the girl could get up after she was flogged and the authenticity of the incident, a resident of Kala Kalay said, “I witnessed the flogging myself, so there is no reason to doubt the occurrence”, which was quoted in a local English daily. “At that time about 200 militants and 130 villagers were present to see the flogging of the girl. The flogging was a shocking development for the villagers. They had assembled to watch the screaming girl but everyone was frightened and helpless while the militants were unmoved,” he said.
If this is ‘fake’, what about the way Shabana was brutally killed in front of many silent spectators? All those (visible and invisible) Muslim Khans who remained unmoved have not only defamed our religion but also the integrity of each and every man and woman of Pakistan.
As for me, I will continue to challenge those who misuse Islam for power and politics. I will continue to raise my voice against individuals and political parties who use my religion to spread hatred. I will continue to expose and challenge the ‘conspiracy’ and ‘propaganda’ theories that try to befool the people of this country.
For those who continue to sit on the fence, I urge you to please join together to make our voices heard. It is essentially the sane voice of the silent majority that matters. In the words of Martin Luther King, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that, by the good people.”
The writer is a research anthropologist and documentary filmmaker with an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, UK. She is the Director of an NGO, Ethnomedia. She can be reached at [email protected]
Source: Daily Times
Video Clip
A video showing suspected members of the Taleban flogging a teenage girl in Swat
Whenever such articles are written on the “Swat Flogging Video” as the one produced above, the following link does deserve to be added, which is a ten minute video and not only 1.14 minutes. Its last scene appears completely “FAKE”.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xaodvt_video-shows-pakistan-army-abuse_news
Unanswered questions —Zubair Torwali
The Swat flogging video embarrassed the provincial government to the extent that its ministers accused the person who had personally brought the video out before the world. The video was also termed as a means to sabotage the ‘peace’ deal
Swat has witnessed many
harsh and cruel days. For about two years, it presented a view of Afghanistan during the heyday of the Afghan Taliban. The man who ignited the situation against the state of Pakistan — Sufi Mohammad — was spared (seemingly by design) for about three years. The MMA was then the ruling government in the province. In 2008, a half-hearted operation was launched under the name of Rah-e-Haq but it was evident then that the action being taken against the insurgents was not serious. However, soon the situation became very grave and serious when the hanging of slit-throated and beheaded bodies became a routine, and the Grain Chowk in Mingora became notorious as the ‘Khooni Chowk’. Upon intense pressure from the people of Swat and the media, the government decided to try and settle the issue peacefully. A long deliberation and negotiations were carried out at the start of 2009 to reach a settlement. In the wake of this endeavour, a peace deal was signed with the Taliban in February 2009. Emboldened by the very apparent capitulation on the part of the government, the militants expanded their writ to the nearby districts of Buner and Dir. The people’s reaction to the peace deal was mixed. Some thought it would bring permanent peace to the Valley but there were many who were cynical and thought that the peace deal was carried out on the terms put forward by the militants. They were of the opinion that since the Taliban were non-state actors, they would not comply with the truce. Their apprehensions proved true and the Taliban extended their ‘rule’ beyond Swat.
When the dilemma reached its peak, there appeared a video sometime in April, wherein the Taliban were reportedly flogging a girl. The video took the media and civil society by storm. To many Swatis the video was not surprising as they had witnessed incidents much more brutal than the flogging being shown in the video. It was perhaps the timing of the video that made headlines and breaking news, or perhaps the fact that seeing is more shocking than hearing or reading. The video embarrassed the provincial government to the extent that its ministers accused the person who had personally brought the video out before the world. The video was also termed as a means to sabotage the ‘peace’ deal. The social activist who dared to show the video was harassed and was shown crying out for help.
Reaction from the Taliban over the video was also confusing but their spokesman accepted responsibility on the grounds that Islam allowed such punishments for adultery. He went on record saying that the girl deserved harsher treatment than the mere flogging but she was spared, thanks to the Taliban.
Now, almost a year has lapsed since the video was shown to the world. On March 30, 2010, headlines announced that the video was, indeed, found to be a fake after investigation. It was claimed that a ‘local’ from Swat confessed that he had been paid Rs 0.5 million by an NGO to shoot the video. This latest scenario about the validity of the video has created some pertinent questions.
First of all, the timing of this news about the bogusness of the video is very important. Is this information meant to malign the military, which has successfully cleared Swat after a yearlong operation? If looks are anything to go by, it appears so.
Secondly, is this a new move to mentally prepare the people of Swat for a comeback of militancy? The news doubting the originality of the video will certainly warm some hearts towards the Taliban. Is all this an initial episode of yet another conspiracy against the people of Swat?
Thirdly, does this video refutation not imply a significant amount of bad press for the NGOs that are contributing towards the rehabilitation of Swat? As the main blame is on an NGO that, as the news would like us to believe, bribed a certain ‘local’ to shoot the video, the people of Swat will eventually begin resenting the humanitarian agencies that are operating there.
Fourthly, why has it taken a full year to investigate the matter? All this could have been concluded in the very beginning.
Lastly, who is this local person and the others who were interrogated in the investigation? When the video was first shown, it was understandable to speak up in the media while requesting anonymity as Swat was in the grip of anarchy. Now, when Swat is in the safe hands of our military, why are these locals still anonymous and unidentified?
I have interacted with many educated and well aware Swatis about this latest development. All were very cynical and angry. They consider this current piece of information to be a part of some big conspiracy.
Amidst such a clumsy situation, they appeal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take up the issue and investigate the matter in depth so as to let the people of Swat, and Pakistan in general, know the facts about the real situation. A free and fair investigation in this regard by the country’s apex court will unravel the conspiracy.
The writer is a freelance analyst based in Swat. He can be reached at [email protected]
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=201045\story_5-4-2010_pg3_6
I agree with the author 100%. The conspiracies will never leave us alone. It has been a year since this issue first came on screen. It is ridiculous that it should surface again after the military operation has been done and people are finally at peace. What’s the point?
@ Saifullah, Samar Minallah rightly points out the duplicity of the Taliban sympathizers who attempt to create confusion in the masses. There are hundreds of clips which show similar acts of Taliban brutality. Also over two dozen people witnessed this barbaric act were they also planted agents?
The Sawat deal did not fail due to this video, the peace accord was flawed as the state accepted the demands of the militants, and however they did not cease their activities which resulted in the inevitable military operation.
The parable of Swat flogging
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Talat Farooq
This piece, dear reader, is from the heart. After reading Samar Minallah’s article in The News (April 5) I decided to watch the Swat flogging video again; it immediately whipped up feelings of humiliation and indignation with the same force as when I had seen it the first time. I was once again reminded of the fact why the ordinary people of Pakistan reacted so fiercely against the sordid event and with their courageous outpouring turned the tide against the Taliban and their supporters. It happened not only because the ordinary citizens of this country are more God-fearing than many self-proclaimed soldiers of God but also because they could relate to the helplessness and indignity of the female in the video both at the conscious and unconscious levels.
The video is also a parable that symbolises our story. Our self-esteem has received various blows over the decades; the American drone attacks constitute just one of the items on the long list of humiliations and abuses that our nation has endured. The unfolding tragedy on the video reminds us that since the creation of Pakistan a large segment of our society has suffered perpetual humiliation at the whip-wielding hands of the powerful, be they influential feudal lords, affluent businessmen, military and civilian dictators, religious bigots or a stagnant bureaucracy. While they continue to hold us hostage to their personal agendas, our own hands and feet, like the hapless girl, are in the strong grip of their minions and cronies.
Both the elite and their allies are control freaks who continue to inflict excruciating pain on us to ensure we remain incapable of rational judgment, just like the silent spectators in the video. Their silence symbolises Pakistan’s silent majority which, despite knowing that the wheel is inherently designed to come full circle, is too self-absorbed or apathetic to speak up.
The silence of the majority reflects a deep sense of inferiority that stems from decades of being denied the right to participate in the process of nation-building on our own terms. Forced into chasing imported dreams from America and the Arab world we continue to suffer from identity crises.
In the video the young woman on the ground embodies complex symbolism. On one level, she represents the vulnerable female at the mercy of physically strong males in a patriarchal social-structure, unequipped with the essentials of education and awareness of rights and lacking social and state support. Her fundamental human rights, of which her dignity is paramount, remain an elusive dream. The so-called Islamic state and its Nizam-e-Adl, as envisioned by the likes of the Taliban, can only function if she is incarcerated physically, mentally and emotionally to ensure her stunted growth.
On another level, the face-down posture of the female victim in the video signifies the faceless millions belonging to the marginalised and deprived sections of our society. They live and die as non-entities in their own land and are made to eat dust everyday in the face of red tape-ism and VVIP culture; their screams fail to move the affluent and the resourceful. Governmental institutions, feudal justice systems and tribal mindsets mete out a daily dose of humiliation and indignity to them; this, coupled with institutionalised corruption, compounds their helplessness and uproots all hopes of social amelioration.
The burqa-clad 17–year-old reminds us of the underprivileged for yet another reason. Like her, the faces of the poor are also invisible to the powerful elite; yet they themselves can clearly see through the veil and are able to bear witness to the identity of both their torturers and the onlookers. And to them, as to her, they are both on the same side.
The only promising factor in the video is also the most heart-breaking. The screams of the victim, sometimes loud sometimes muffled, demonstrate her ability to verbalise her pain under extreme duress. May her screams become consistently louder with every passing day till the silent majority discovers the courage to denounce both conspiracy theories and their creators. This alone would give them the nerve to snatch the whip from the hands of their torturers. Her screams may yet jolt, with greater intensity, the hearts and minds of the various segments of civil society that has begun to stir and squirm under the weight of injustice and hypocrisy.
The parable of the Swat flogging is incomplete; it is up to the people of Pakistan to give it a dignified ending.
The writer is executive editor of the magazine Criterion, Islamabad. Email: talatfarooq11@ gmail.com
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=232753
Flogging the truth
BY SANA SALEEM
04 13TH, 2010
Much has been said about the report claiming that the infamous video showing a girl being flogged by the Taliban in Swat is fake. I remember being outraged by the incident and the claims of Taliban spokespersons who betrayed their indifference to the outrageous act. Now, however, “a five-member team investigating the flogging by Taliban militants of a teenage girl in Swat has said in its final report that the video footage of the incident shown on TV channels is fake and false.”
The interior secretary [Kamal Shah] said the probe team, headed by the Malakand DIG, had been formed after the Supreme Court chief took suo motu notice of the incident.
‘It has completed its investigation and handed over a report to me,’ he said, adding that the report would be submitted before an eight-member bench of the Supreme Court during the next hearing.
Since the video’s release, the only information regarding who the girl actually was and why she was being punished came from the media, and their only source was the man who claimed to have filmed it. Shaukat was the only eye-witness to come forward and speak to DawnNews about the incident.
At the time of the clip’s release, we were all out on the streets, condemning the horrific incident. Political parties such as the MQM were on the forefront, protesting the heinous crime and calling for more people to join the protests.
Now, months after the incident and the completion of the Swat offensive, a man has claimed that he faked the video. According to Professor Khurshid Ahmed of the Jamaat-i-Islami, a man involved with making the video maintains that an Islamabad-based NGO paid him Rs 500,000 and gave additional amounts of Rs 100,000 to the girl who is shown being flogged and Rs 50,000 each to the children shown in the video.
So was the earlier outcry in vain? Was our collective anger baseless? Why was the video widely distributed without confirming its authenticity? And what are we expecting from the suo moto notice now?
When the video was released, those who questioned its authenticity were cast as Taliban sympathisers. I too had lashed out at a friend when she questioned whether a girl who had just been flogged multiple times could simply get up and walk off at the end (as is shown in the clip). Enraged, I had asked my friend: “What are you suggesting? Even if the video is fake, haven’t the militants done much more that deserves condemnation? And considering that, why should we give them the benefit of the doubt?”
I still stick to the point I made that day. The English newspaper claiming the video is fake provides no further details. Absolutely nothing about the name of the NGO, the girl who acted like a victim, the man who filmed it, and other people who could be seen in the video has been revealed. So why should we give the Taliban, of all organisations, the benefit of the doubt?
Moreover, when a Taliban spokesperson was asked about the details of the incident, he said he wasn’t aware of where the video had been shot, but was certain that justice had been done the Islamic way. Is that not worse than the actual crime? If we stand by injustice, we become equally responsible. And when this video was released, people like Muslim Khan stood by the act without even hinting at the need for an investigation or debate into the nature of the punishment. In my books, then, he’s guilty.
Even though it matters less in the end whether the video was fake or real, we can certainly learn a lot from this incident. Most importantly, we should recognise that we have become too reactionary. Knee-jerk reactions have come to determine both our associations and enmities, and our propensity for believing things without questioning whether they are authentic or credible reveals gullible we have become.
The same people protesting the flogging video about a year ago have now jumped on the bandwagon suggesting that the video was propaganda aimed at ‘defaming Islam’. This is the kind of hogwash we are quick to base our judgements on. But for the sake of reason, we should put our energies to better use and interrogate issues – or ask our authorities to investigate circumstances – before jumping to conclusions.
Ironically, restraint and sound judgement has been outmoded by media platforms – including one that claims to be the country’s most popular – that have made it a ritual to hype, politicize, and sensationalise things before investigating their veracity. That’s well beyond the call of duty of responsible media organisations. As long as it’s the case, though, the masses should take a moment to scrutinise the issue before bursting into outrageous protest.
http://blog.dawn.com/2010/04/13/flogging-the-truth/