Liberal Islamic professor gunned down in Karachi
A professor of Islam known for his liberal religious views was shot dead in Pakistan's port city of Karachi yesterday, officials said.
Mohammad Shakil Auj, the 54-year-old dean of Islamic Studies at the prestigious University of Karachi was gunned down in his car while on his way to an Iranian cultural centre where he was invited as a guest of honour.
His car was being driven down a ramp from a flyover, when "bullets were fired, one hit the professor in the head and he died", senior police officer Pir Mohammad Shah told AFP.
Auj, a recipient of a presidential medal of distinction, was known for his unorthodox views.
The professor was known for issuing controversial fatwas -- pronouncing for example that a Muslim woman could marry a non-Muslim man, and that women need not remove lipstick or nail polish before saying their prayers.
Such views can cause serious offence to some conservative Muslims in Pakistan, which has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for more than ten years.
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