Over 20,000 people protested in Pakistan Sunday calling on the government to withdraw new legislation that allows rape cases to be tried in either secular or Islamic courts. The Protection of Women Bill, signed [JURIST report] by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf [official website; BBC profile] earlier this month, amends portions of the Hudood Ordinances [Pakistan government backgrounder, PDF], which limited rape action to Islamic courts applying Sharia law. More than 20,000 Muslim traditionalists participated in the protests, and while over 300 police were called to monitor the area, there were no reports of violence.
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