Word: shari
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...year of fighting. Last week's agreement to impose a form of Islamic law in Swat has many feeling encouraged that this turbulent region will finally see a return to calm. "The fighting with the military is what made it dangerous," Nisar says. "The tribal people used to have Shari'a law in this part of Pakistan and it was so peaceful, so I think this will make things better...
...implementation of Shari'a law is not bad news to many who believe it will be adopted in its moderate form. Karachi native Jamal Panhwal used to work in Pakistan's now shrinking tourism industry and until 2007, guided hundreds of walking tours through Swat. Says he: "I am quite confident the people causing trouble are not from Swat. The natives of this community are the most progressive Pathans. If law is in the control of the local people of Swat, then everything will be fine...
...Shari'a system agreed upon with Mohammed, says Shoukat Ali Yousafzai, will resolve criminal cases within four months and settle civil matters within six months. Judges will be advised by religious scholars, he says, "but there will be no beheadings, hand choppings or ban on women working or studying...
...local Taliban, of course, have already effectively imposed their own version of Shari'a on the area. Until a few months ago, the Cheena market in Mingora thronged with women buying dresses and jewelery; now it is closed. Stores selling music and films have been attacked, and though barbers still offer haircuts, they will no longer shave a customer, after the Taliban forbade...
...Taliban has destroyed more than 180 schools across the valley, mostly girls' schools but a number of boys schools too. Now government schools are expected to reopen in March, after the winter break. Government officials insist that under Mohammed's Shari'a regulations, the Taliban's prohibition on female education will be lifted. But many of the teachers who were threatened have fled the area and are too fearful to return anytime soon. "The Taliban have threatened us not to come back," says Zunaiba Hayat, a 35-year-old middle-school teacher who moved to Islamabad after her school...