The Muslim Woman

Enraged Islamist lawmakers have persuaded the Pakistan government to stop a theatre group staging a satirical play ‘Burqavaganza’; it’s about the burqa, the all-covering head-to-toe garment worn by conservative Muslim women.

In the play, young men and women wore the burqa to go out on secret dates and it featured a character called Burqa bin Badin. The play also showed a burqa-clad married couple put to death for making love in public.

As expected, religious conformist Pakistanis did not find it funny, rather went as far as to tag the performance as blasphemous, a crime in Pakistan that can carry a death sentence.

Culture Minister Sayed Ghazi Gulab Jamal said,

the burqa is part of our culture. We can’t allow anyone to ridicule our culture.

Progressive Pakistanis have become increasingly shocked by how bold religious radicals have become in spreading their Taliban-style values in society.

Madeeha Gauhar with the Ajoka Theatre group told the BBC that the play is not designed to offend Islam or any other religion. She said she heard about the ban from the media as the government had not yet contacted the theater group. We are trying to end the evils from society, we are against forcing women to wear the burqa. I condemn the ban, she told the BBC.

Read

Muslims feel very bashful when talking about sex. However, sexologist Dr. Heba Kotb is on her way to break away this shackle, which has been tying Muslim community for years.

Giving air to her views, she advises Muslims to have more sex, despite the fact that Muslims community is known to keep quite conservative views about sex, and open discussion on this issue is considered quite an outrageous act.

May be this act of her is being seen as a despicable act by some of the people of Muslim community but keeping in view the present situation according to which sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia, genital herpes (HSV), Gonorrhea, Human papilloma virus (HPV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and Trichomoniasis are foraying into our society, it could be asserted that mission initiated by her is really a commendable one. Because time has gone when people used not even to mention word ‘sex’ publicly.

If we go back in the depth of Muslim religion or Islam then we find that Islam is not as orthodox about sex as its so-called representatives have depicted it. Strangely enough, Islam has propounded quite a liberal philosophy regarding sex, which the present generation seems blind to. Here it is interesting to know that Islam considers sex as one of the essential human needs that must be properly satisfied.

In Quran, there comes reference in which dialogue between Prophet Mohammad and the companions goes on like this:

[A Muslim] would have an intercourse with his spouse and would be rewarded for it. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked: Oh Messenger of Allah! A person would be rewarded while satisfying his sexual need? Prophet Mohammad replied:Yes. Isn’t it that he would be punished had he practiced sex illegally (not with his spouse)? The same applies if a Muslim practiced a lawful intercourse with his spouse. As such, he would be rewarded”.

This shows that this is nothing wrong in having sex, talking about it, therefore, we should spurn away the very trite idea, which dampens the idea of openness about sex, defining it a stigma on religion. And due to this very stigma, which doesn’t exist indeed, often such cases comes out in which people are often found keeping their interaction with STDs behind the curtain.

From health point of view too, sex is an integral part of our life, as it helps maintaining ideal body weight, increases blood flow, lowers cholesterol, improves sleep by reducing stress level, and above all it works as a cementing bond between two life partners.

In brief, it could be asserted that time has come when we will have to accept the fact that sex is after all a part of human life and to keep it visored is just like defying the truth.

Image

Via: CNN

In an attempt to control young men and women who have deviated from the country’s Islamic dress codes and adopted a western appearance, Iran declared the launch of ‘Operation Cover-up’.

Deputy Commander of the Iranian police force warned women that

the police will operate against women who dress like models in town. Women that are arrested will be taken to four centers, where they will receive guidance and advice. They will commit in writing not to dress in violation of the dress code again, and they will be released only after their families come to pick them up and bring them proper attire.

According to Iranian law, women are obliged to wear a head-to-toe black chador or cover their hair with scarves and choose long, loose-fitting clothes.

Each year the Iranian administration announces this kind of operation ahead of summer, when the weather warms up and sleeves start getting shorter. The rest of the year, the ‘Modesty Guard’, made up of a volunteer staff, patrols the streets and comments to women who do not maintain a sufficiently modest appearance.

The goal of the operation, according to Tehran police, is to ensure moral behavior in society.

Read

Lack of political and social freedom for the Muslim women in the Middle East has added to their sufferings in many ways. The latest manifestation is the honor killings. The rigid and blind following of tribal ethos and customs in this part of the world have caused killing of many women in last several years as a punishment for choosing their grooms. Be it a love affair or reluctance to marry the persons of their parents’ choice, the fair sex in the Middle East is treated in the most unfair way.

The news from the Middle East often captures the imagination worldwide for the undue misery meted out to Muslim women there. Deprived of political rights, social status and bulldozed under stringent customs, the women folk virtually live the lives of slaves. The latest organized honor killings only add to their plight. In most cases the execution was simply because of the refusal to accept the choice of parents. Sabrin of Abu Ghanem tribe of Ramala, Israel was murdered by her cousin for refusing to marry him. Shirihina 15 years old girl was butchered by her brothers as she was willing to opt for a career instead of marriage.

Love or eloping away in this part of the world is the most heinous crime. The punishment is the severest of all. Reem, a young girl eloped away with her lover to escape an arrange marriage with an older Sheikh. Her brother, a doctor, shot her dead. Among the most of the Arab world, let alone love marriage, the desire of the ladies to study abroad or their use of telephone is regarded as taint to family honor. Though, the Government of Israel has banned such bloodlettings, yet in most of the Arab countries the honor killing is largely justified. Even in Ramala, trials for honor killings by Abu Ghanem tribal men went unpunished for lack of witnesses. No one is ready to give his or her testimony.

The honor killings are a sign of backwardness of the Muslim women in the Middle East. The lack of democratic values and chauvinistic male dominance are the main reason to create an atmosphere of fear psychosis for women there. However, positive signs have begun to appear. The increasing demand by the women for social freedom and their readiness to sacrifice than to fall in line is attracting worldwide support.

image

Via:NyTimes

Faced with murder charge, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has decided to postpone her return home from the United States with her party claiming that she had done so on the advise of the interim government.

She was scheduled to leave the US on 14th of this month for Bangladesh but has informed the General Secretary of Awami League, Abdul Jalil that she will not depart for Bangladesh on the said date.

The country is currently going through a massive anti-corruption drive initiated by the interim government of that country and heavily backed by the defense forces. The activities of the major political parties, even indoors, have been banned under the national emergency in force since Jan 11.

Murder charges

According to the police, Hasina has been accused of the murder charges after months of investigation into two separate cases filed by the rival groups involving the killing of 10 people in Dhaka on Oct. 28.

A 14-party alliance led by the Awami League accused Jamaat of starting the violence resulting in the deaths, while Jamaat, in a separate complaint to police, accused the Awamis.

A court will formally hear the charges on April 22.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and his nine party leaders were among those charged.

Hasina is on a private trip to the United States and had been due to return to Dhaka on April 23. But she brought her return forward to next week after a businessman lodged a complaint with police that she had extorted 30 million taka (over $400,000) while in power before 2001.

Image

Read

A judicial body in Pakistan issued a fatwa against tourism minister Nilofar Bakhtiar for posing in an ‘obscene manner’ with French paraglider pilots, asserted a top cleric.

Authorities have summoned the government to reprimand and discharge her from the cabinet.

The pictures, available in a local Urdu-language newspaper, depict Bakhtiar in brightly-colored paragliding gear participating in a tandem glide during a trip to France and then hugging an instructor upon landing.

Pakistani officials dismissed the fatwa, saying it had no legal, religious or moral authority. Human rights and political activists and many other Pakistanis have condemned the action and expressed support for her.

Ms. Bakhtiar also dismissed the criticism and, in an interview said that the photographs were taken out of context and that they showed her being congratulated for making the jump at a charity event.

Last month, students from the mosque’s religious school abducted three women they accused of running a brothel. They later detained two policemen. All of those detained were released, but the Islamists have vowed to press on with their campaign against ‘obscenity and un-Islamic activities’.

Followers of the radical clerics at the Islamabad mosque have become increasingly audacious, raising fears that for all Musharraf’s talk of ‘enlightened moderation’ he cannot stop a trend towards the Talibanisation of Pakistan.

She said that while Mr. Musharraf’s government had been trying to put Pakistan on the path toward moderation and enlightenment, o

pposition to women participating in all walks of life by hard-line Islamic clerics is only natural. Pakistan is going through a transitional phase. Such negative forces are bound to come up. We are adamant that we will face them, but the world has to understand that it will take time.

Image

Read

Exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is all set to reiterate the Province in spite of probable arrest and also she doesn’t rule out running for the first woman of the country.

Pakistani courts under President Pervez Musharraf have convicted Bhutto and another exiled prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf deposed in a bloodless coup in 1999, of various crimes, and both face arrest upon their return.

Talking about her ‘obvious’ house arrest, she says, that ‘under present legal system’, she would not be arrested. Saying further, she added,

Of course, if the regime wishes, they can make a new case against me. Nothing has been proved against me.

Bhutto and Sharif have been in talks on a joint strategy to put pressure on Musharraf’s government. Recently, both have protested against Gen Musharraf’s decision to sack the country’s chief justice, who had opposed his attempts to cling to power. The pact between them is significant since, until now, the public protests over the crisis have been led by lawyers rather than politicians.

However, he had promised to step down from the post before seeking re-election. Meanwhile, scholars are of the view that he wants to retain the control and suspend Chaudhry to prevent any legal challenge.

Gen Musharraf’s position has been further jeopardized by an apparent change of heart in the US, where diplomats and intelligence officials are disenchanted with the president’s failure to combat fully fundamentalist Muslim terrorists operating in the tribal areas in the north-west of the country who have repeatedly crossed into Afghanistan to attack British and American forces.

Miss Bhutto has called on the international community,

If democracy must be defended in Afghanistan, then democracy in Pakistan must be defended, too. It is important for the international community to stop turning a blind eye.

Read

Dr. Sima Samar is an icon for women in Afghanistan, as well as she has been able to draw admiration from feminists worldwide. Her impudence in supporting the human and women’s rights have raised condemnation from extremists. Although she has done a lot towards the emancipation of native women yet much work needs to be done in the regard.

She said that though things have changed for women as compared to Taliban regime yet some regions experiences violation of women rights like forced marriage, child marriage, restrictions on movement, job discrimination and child abduction and trafficking.

Talking about the judicial system she said that women have nearly no access to law enforcement and every now and then they are victimized to domestic violence. The women who run away from abusive family male members end up in jail or are slaughtered by a family member. The family is then immune from prosecution for this ‘honor’ killing. In order to escape these situations, women try to commit suicide and burn themselves.

She also talked about the political scenario, she said that women had victories in the parliamentary elections, still, there are no women among the advisors to the president and there is now only one woman in the Cabinet.

If women are not part of decision making bodies, men won’t be able to take such decisions that would positively affect the women folk because they won’t be able to understand women’s problems. She advocated for the solidarity for the women which is very essential for a progressive nation.

Image

Read

Nazir Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service’s director for west London asserted that Islamic terror groups are responsible for a murder and another threat to kill, hence, he concluded that Islamic extremists are igniting the spread of ‘honor’ based violence against women in Britain.

He emphasized the instances where women overseas had been compelled to become suicide bombers after being accused of shaming their families. He added that Muslim faith that justifies oppression and violence is diffusing in Britain as well.

He estimated that there have been nearly dozen killings in Britain each year and articulated his distress over the escalating problem.

Talking about the religious ideology, he stated that men usually use Islam as a justification for telling women how to behave and for punishing them. There is no religious justification for forcing your children to marry or harming them because they behave in a particular way, but there are people out there who are using their faith as a reason to do this.

While speaking at the at the London Voluntary Services Council conference he said such a use of Islam to support violence towards women was a grossly mistaken interpretation of the religion. It is simply outdated and it is about power and control over women, not religion, said he.

Image

Read

Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, or WISE has come into being, aim of which would be to construe Koran in the feminist point of view and to shed the conventional belief about their religion, which states that Muslims are terrorists and Islam, oppresses women.

Many asserted that strict sharia law was not divine because it was created by men and should be changed to incorporate women’s rights.

Zainab Anwar, executive director of Sisters in Islam, a Malaysian organization working on women’s rights within the Islamic framework asserted,

In our societies men hold power and they decide what Islam should mean and how we can obey that particular understanding of Islam. I can’t live with a God that is unjust. The law is progressive, but those men controlling the law aren’t.

Hmm... sounds great, now let’s hope women in the Muslim countries too get this opportunity of ‘reformation’.

Read