::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

In this issue

Restricting freedoms and instigating violence, fatwas are issued against women in the name of preserving religious values and social norms.

Editor’s Note

The cover photograph of this week’s The Star is an image of the re-enactment of a scene of a woman being stoned following the issuance of a fatwa by a village salish -- similar to the scenes depicted by victims of such incidents narrated in the cover story.

The photograph generated considerable comment and critique on the ethics of its publication. Sadly, less comment was generated on the reality – not the image – of the women and girls and in some cases young men, continuing to face humiliating and degrading extra-judicial punishments meted out to them by persons claiming to act on the basis of religious authority. We, however, accept the criticism that the fact that the photograph was a reconstruction should have been clearly stated. We regret the oversight.

We would like to reiterate, however, that our story was based on facts and ground interviews, narrating a reality that merits attention, concern and action.

-- The Editor, The Star magazine

Cover Photo
Zahedul I Khan

Cover Design
Manan Morshed