Violence Against Women

Re: # 7

inquirer,

........ good analysis .......... unfortunately even the author doesn`t `get it` as is apparent from the wishy-washy last paragraph .......

Emma,

Hear hear!

And Here, HERE!

Thank you chowk.com for yet another article that calls for gender equity and respect and yet is congenitally incapable of applying that practice on this website.

ally:

emailed you re: my blog. didn`t think this was the place to respond to that.

love, ana

Emma

We just have to look at our own mothers to see what happens to women in Pakistan. When my mother got married my Nani said to her `you leave this house in a doli, when you leave that house it will be in a coffin`

My mother is of a different generation and time who accepted their parents decision without question. The mantle is with the younger women who will have to empower themselves, cause the men are not going to do it, as it goes against their interests. You have a long struggle ahead of you, God bless and good luck!

A

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Ana

Nice to see you here, is your blog down? i cant acces it!

I can see Emma Alam`s dilemma, frustration, anger and desire for rebellion. Though I support her stance, the issues are complicated. And, we need to disect the issues discussed by her in clear groups.

First: Religio-social issues which originate in the religion, Islam. Second: Sociopolitical issues which originate in the politico-economical frame work in Pakistan. Let us for simplicity limit ourselves to the range of issues at hand, namely, related only to Pakistan.

All patriarchical religions have a built-in bias against women (For a Chowk discussion of these issues see my board on Religious Scriptures and Women in Year 2003.).

Now limiting myself to Islam, I believe:

(i) Islam was initially equitable for women in economic sense AS LONG AS each woman resigned herself to the domain of the man in charge at the moment of her life. That was a victory of sorts in the Seventh Century AD. At that time the inter-gender equality was inconceivable because even all men were not considered equal. Universally, pyramidal structures existed. Whichever, man could muster largest number of killers on his side was to be served by all others directly or indirectly.

(ii) Islam has continued to develop and maintain the tyrannical structures needed to systematically terrorize all women by first keeping education low in among all men and secondly by denying education to girls almost totally. This is done to keep them for baby factory work.

(iii) This is consistent with the general intolerance among Muslims to all humans who do not yield to the supremacy of Muslim ruler. No wonder the Masjids are the beneficiaries of the King`s wealth. The Masjid`s in turn perpetuate the delusional religious atmosphere to which the majority of uneducated Muslim men succumb keeping them under the thumb of the local rulers.

(iv) The end result of all this is that Islamic religio-social systems have been untouched by the modernity and enlightenment which has been found in modern Christianity and Hinduism (which by the way was never so anti-feminine because of the very early weakening of the temples` organization and systematic requirement that a wife was necessary for religious ceremonies, in addition to the military defeat of Hindus by Muslim invaders. The last one resulted in the moderation of Hindu male and simultaneous bumptiousness of the Muslim male.).

So what is to be done?
First: Divorce education from religion. Most of the educated Hindus know little of religion except there family traditions.
Second: Reduce to eliminate the state funding of the Masjids.
Third: Educate the Mullahs.
Fourth: Develop constitutions within the States whose highest aim is to improve the lot of humans in their own country instead of conversions of Kafirs.
Fifth: Have actual democracy with equal voting rights for all with totally joint electorates and local elections.
Finally, keep your fingers crossed that a military general will not subvert the society and its aims.

Nice Article,,
It enlighten foremost unsolved problem of Pakistan.
Totally agreed,

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Re: # 3
correction coas=Chief of army staff of Islamic republiscs of Pakistan( aka Pakistan)
Kindly correct spellings in your mind while reading, trying best to write correct spelling)

Pakistan is problem to women but at same time pakistani women get special treatment like reserved number of seats. That is ok acceptable. But problem is in general seats also they can contest also this is not fair I think for men its at cost of men . B.Bhutto was one of strong primeminister .
Mr.Romair wrote some hindu( ?) woman got top job at cocacola company( 1 million dollars per month salary). So this dark woman must be putting fear in white mans hearts as she can hire and fire white men. Also Mr. Mittals daughter is top shot in steel company. They must be afraid of her as she tells daddy and she closes factories to reduce costs. She spent 100 million dollars for her own marriage. She is sindhi and her daddy comes from state adjacent to sindh. She said she considers B.Bhutto as role model.While Soniya Gandhi is strongest and powerful woman in world and first time Woman controls nuclear bombs of India or any country (B.Bhutto was not allowed to get control coaf of pakistan contrlled crowned jewels they call as code for atom Bomb.
So this is not bad as these women as strong as any big man. Women have problems as top rulers they tend to go for war to humilate men. As Indira gandhi went to war and putting humilating conditions on Y.Khan took revenge. While jew woman made war gainst Arab forces and defeated mens and due to Nassar got heart attack and died as woman humilated her that was too much for arab man and general of army. same way english pm woman thacher made war against Aggentine army and defeated and humilated opponents, she made geogrge bush make war saying act as man, same problemo in russia acatherine Great, she made wars and troubled people same problem in lanka Lady president tear down plans of Man PM to make peace and went for war and bangladesh both begums are fightening like dogs, its credit to mrs bhutto amd mrs soniya gandhiji never made war. SO I am for women but just do not make PM at this time as they have tendency to make war. This is due to women angry attitude and just like women think country is like baby and like Tigress they get fast angry and tendency to fight. That is only problems so at this time with bombs with Mrs Gandhiji and if Mrs B.Bhutto becomes PM chances of war goes up. I do not know there is biological basis of war orientede attitude or it has Anthropogical basis but we women fight lot. Also lot of men are afraid of their wife (Urban). Sigmund little intelligent Jew wrote I studied women all life and more I study more i get lost. I do not know much about this things. just my feeling.
I wonder women Rulers can lead to wars? Record is not best. Readers can throw light. I wonder is that reason boy child always become king? More one thinks more its get complicated, Igronance is bliss.

Thanks Ms.Alam for taking effoerts and putting the article and I agree most of you have written. You have correctly put what are great obstacles for women put by men and gods and man made laws. Instead of improving ``hadood`` laws those laws need to be abolished as massaging or changing little things will not change nothing. Under cover of traditions women will be supressed in for long time.
There will be no help from goverment in near future as they are there to rule not to reform. I have come to conclusion ``moderation and moderate`` are most dishonest people and they will not deliver any thing but just enforce status Quo and always will give justification and saying saying things need to be improved but time has not come and so go slow, hold on fort. General president is good man and he is modern in his personal relationships but he can not do much has his survival depends on people for whom women are few points above cattle.
It takes man sensitivity and time and maturing to understand suffering. For many women life is hell and these is escape only by being dead. When I was small my mother use to cry and at age of 12 I asked why you cry. She told me son do not worry women always cry and you should not worry about women crying. It took decades and maturity for me to understand the the misery she and many have to go through. Sadly most men get imunue to suffering as fact is sad thing.
I have three daughter and I always concisouly try to be just to them and being sensetive. Still I regret of things and feel was wrong today as aftermath. I encouraged them to study and always sat down and studied ther books and taught and have just still pleasure of remember of seeing them getting educated.
Most I worried about was their travelling by public busses for colleges. As men were so rude to them my elder daughter was so humilated by bad behaviour her mother told me she is thinking of quitting I felt so helpless. Then I had to cajole and plead and beg not to do such things.
I can not change world but can be better in my personal life. One has to correct mistakes if you find them. I am conservative and simple person so never have TV in house so avoid bad influence from India that has helped. I had banned lipstick for two elder daughters but younger threated me so I thought about it permitted and I regretted why I was so insensetive. I always encouraged younger to think like man with confidence. Once she complained she is woman and not going to good position etc even after studies in mans world. I told her look `` I tell you are as good as or better as men in your engg college so do not talk of despair. But if you feel you are inferior to them then you are, onus is on you.
I hope as things economically improve then things will hopeful become better for women.
Thanks for your article. Good day.

emma,

good to see this article here. a few points though:

there`s a part of this article in quotes, and yet when i look for the source, it isn`t readily given. i see that there is mention of the government in the preceding paragraph. is what is within quotation marks a statement from someone in government? it`s not quite clear.

i am in agreement about the situation of women in pakistan, but i feel that you veer towards generalization sometimes to make your points. i certainly do not think that things are improving in terms of violence towards women, but i wonder if i am the only one who is slightly uncomfortable with your portrayal of pakistani women at some points.

i like this:

Lack of education and general misconception regarding women rights are major hurdles in the emancipation of women, thus this bleak ignorance nurtures the seed of violence watered by suppression, chauvinism, and injustice. Majority of them is unaware of their own rights, it’s not the religion but the social fabric and false norms, which bring discrimination between man and woman, make dominant the former and deprived, the latter.

best,
ana