Why Mukhtar Mai Matters

Bina,

You are absolutely right; Mukhtar Mai is an extraordinary, extraordinary woman.

Thanks for the reminder.

What a courageous women. Three cheers to Mukhtar Mai and may God help her in everywhere.

``I was astounded to read that some people consider Mukhtar a shameless attention-seeker, who is using what happened to her as a means of obtaining fame and money, as well as darkening the image of Pakistan in the world media``....like HELLOOO!!!!!!

i am speechless...i cant believe there actually are people out there who still expect mukhtar to suffer in silence! when exactly did they loose their soul?

cheers for Bina...i love this article

Excellent article Bina,

Thankyou for bringing this to the forefront. She is indeed a courageous woman, may Allah give her strength and give us conscience to stand up for the rights of our women.

Here is a link to her website:

http://www.mukhtarmai.com/Nextpage.htm

Mukhtar Mai
Challenging A Tribal Code of ``Honor``

ROBERT NICKELSBERG / GETTY IMAGES FOR TIME


By Asma Jahangir
Posted Monday, October 4, 2004; 21:00 HKT

It is a measure of just how terrible what happened to Mukhtar Mai was that news of the attack on her sent shock waves across Pakistan, where sexual assault and violence against women is commonplace. Mai, a 30-year-old woman who lives in the remote hamlet of Meerwala, was brutally and publicly gang-raped in June 2002 by four volunteers on the orders of a village court, or jirga. Mai`s then 12-year-old brother Abdul Shakoor (pictured behind her) had been seen walking with a girl from the more influential Mastoi tribe; they demanded Mai`s rape to avenge their ``honor.`` Mai`s family sat helplessly while she was dragged into a room, even as she screamed and pleaded for mercy. To further humiliate her, and make an example of those who would defy the power of local strongmen, she was paraded naked before hundreds of onlookers. Her father covered her with a shawl and walked her home.

Mai`s case is hardly unique in Pakistan. During the first seven months of 2004, according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 151 Pakistani women were gang-raped and 176 were killed in the name of honor. The vast majority of perpetrators go unpunished. Yet Mai refused to remain silent. She said she would rather ``die at the hands of such animals`` than ``give up her right to justice`` and pursued her case despite the threat of further violence. Against the odds, she won. Six men involved in her rape have been punished, with two of them sentenced to death (although Pakistani human-rights groups and I oppose the death penalty), and the government awarded her compensation. Mai has used the money to open a school in her village so that the force of education can wash away this crime perpetuated in the name of tradition.

As long as the state refuses to fully challenge the brutality of tribal law, the plight of Pakistani women will continue. Mukhtar Mai is a symbol of their victimhood, but in her resilience she is also a symbol of their strength.

Time, Asia`s heroes-
http://www.time.com/time/asia/2004/heroes/hmukhtar_mai.html

Bina: To my knowledge Village councils in Southern Punjab are called panchyats not jirgas..

Zakk, you`re right. I made a mistake. The Sindhi word is jirga. My apologies.

She wants to use the tragedy that happened to her as a way of educating people. She is not ashamed anymore of the fact that she was raped in front of a hundred villagers and walked home by her father in front of the jeering mobs, proving that a woman can recover from rape or assault and go on to live a life of dignity and productivity. She is telling the people of Pakistan that there is no shame in being the victim of a sex crime of the worst magnitude.
Bina, very well said. This indeed is the biggest achievement of Mukhtar Mai.

``Recently I was reading an essay in the newspaper about Mukhtar Mai, the woman from Meerwalla who was gang-raped as “punishment” for a crime she never committed. This story has received attention all around the world, and has been the catalyst for some very important changes in not only the area of Pakistan that she comes from, but in Pakistani society in general.``

Yet another pathetic claim by a pak journalist trying to white wash the image of pakistan. Bina, tell the world what change the case has brought about in pakistan. Last time when I read the pak papers, there was moves in sidh to legalise jirga decisions. What is this catalyst for ``impaortant change`` in pakistan. Bina for once tell the truth to the world, nothing posititve has taken place in pakistan other than coining of another few words, ``enlightened islam``. Well the reality is that there is only the slow slide of pakistan to pakillstan is taking place.
The suicide bember of karach last week is of the same breed as the gang rapers, following the path os pakistan to the society of the book so fervently followed by the supporters of hoodood.

Publicity in the international media will not change anything in the pak society, it has to come from within, and as first step towards that is an acceptance of the reality.
Your assertions that ``importnat change`` has taken place in ``pak society in general`` is an obstacle to change, it is only reinforcing the views of the mullahs that pakistan is having an image proble. No Bina, as you clearly shows, pak society is wrotten at the core.

Mukhtamai is a symbol of hope for not only the women but all those who want to fight the opression of any kind.She did not have any support when she resolved not to commit suicide,rather use her pain for a socially meaningful purpose.It is now duty of the rest of the right thinkers and activists to build a movement on the momentum provided by Mukhtarmai.
Were only people involved in the act of rape booked?What happened to the bigger criminals i.e.the members of the Panchayat who gave this verdict and at what stage is the court case at present?

Gee, Jay, I wish you would learn how to spell.

#11 by Bina_Shah

As if that is somehow going to change Paki society for the better.

harish #12:

let me ask you something. do you and jay really care whether Pakistani society changes for the better or not? And I`m not asking this out of sarcasm or anything, but seriously. . .
yeah, Bina`s response to jay is rather silly (and not very responsible for someone who`s written an article of someone as important as Mukhtaran Mai), but jay`s responses unfortunately don`t merit much else at times.

a tiny pebble can cause a huge ripple. this article is about Mukhtaran and how she`s changed, and changed her world around her. opening schools is not ``nothing`` for someone who`s never received an education of her own. And Ms. Shah is correct in saying that our honor in Pakistan was taken away the day Mukhtaran was brutally raped, but what of the other attacks, the ones that have not received as much attention as hers? In that sense not much has changed. Pakistan has been and is still very much a nation without honor, and we do have to change it from within.

it`s not that jay doesn`t make sense. he expresses himself badly, and referring to Pakistan as Pakillstan isn`t quite necessary for him to make his point. Mukhtaran is a symbol for those who have emerged as survivors, and who live and are an example to many. . . an example that Punjabi leaders running panchayats, and many men in the country will never be.

mukhtaran bibi is a tiny flicker of hope in a sea of doom

lets hope this flicker becomes a flame

we have precious few of them

mukhtaran bibi is a true pakistani: they may attack her body, but they will never touch her noble soul. It is Pakistanis like her that make me so proud to be a Pakistani myself.

Bina Shah,

Thanks once again for bringing out a topic that is painfuly relevant.

Forget these people like Jay, Harish etc... they are people who feed off the misery of poor innocent victims .... all the time forgetting the horrible violence that exists against women in India .... which they don`t have the moral courage to expose.

ana...

Well said. Talking to the wrong people though... they revel in the misery of others... a convenient stick to beat Pakistan with ... in order to fulfill their own narrowminded bigoted agendas... these are the kind of people who don`t make fuss about their own backyard where plenty is going on. I`ll tell you what makes me proud of Pakistan is that it has people like you, Bina Shah and Asma Jahangir speaking constantly and consistently in wake of horrible odds ... our present might not be what we would ideally like it to be.... but I have faith that our future is bright.

It goes without saying that we need a Pakistan that respects human rights, rule of law and where peoples` rights are protected without any discrimination of religion, gender or caste. It must be a Pakistan where women are taken as comrades in every sphere of life and a nation that makes all its decisions applying autonomous intellect to problems as they come up... this is the dream... this is the Pakistan that we have to fight for together.

-YLH