On women Rights on Women Day

The man approached a very beautiful woman in the large supermarket and asked, “You know, I’ve lost my wife here in the supermarket. Can you talk to me for a couple of minutes?” “Why?” Because every time I talk to a beautiful woman my wife appears out of nowhere.

Leaving aside above jokes, the situation is very different for women particularly in the developing nations. No rights for the women exist in reality.

Just look on 8^th March this year on the incident in a TV interview with the wordings of a women “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” and reply from a known so called Male intellectual. These exchange of words has taken over all media including social media. Everybody is talking on this instead of talking on women actual issues. So actual drama played by both the participants has worked to put behind women rights instead of putting them in front.

Our religious scholars have also become very vocal by saying that women rights are well protected in Islam. But when someone question on the second or third or fourth marriage of a man they reply that if a man can do equal justice than he can do that. But whether one can imagine that a woman can tolerate another woman in her marital life. Have anyone gone to the hearts of those women whose husbands have done so and whether they are factually happy on this incident.

Incidentally on 8^th March a young woman running a driving institute after death of her husband having four children came to me and told me that a moulvi running tailoring shop is following her by saying that he wants to marry her and she does not like to do so. She wants to focus only on her children. At this I called that Moulvi and without mentioning anything just told him that the lady is like my younger sister and I am responsible for her affairs as her elder. So by this way I, ended the story.

Everybody know that in our recent history in Fata and Swat where people mix their tribal setup with Islam, the Taliban and disciples of Mullah Umar used to go to the houses having young women and by force used to marry them with any of Taliban. Under this setup they use to sell their daughters through marriage setups. Most of the time women have never been given opportunity to cast their votes.

In Islam the Quran stresses the equality of women and men before God in terms of their religious duties (i.e. belief in God and his messenger, praying, fasting, paying zakat (charity), and making hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca / Medina). The Quran explains that men and women are equal in creation and in the afterlife, but not identical. Surah an-Nisa’ 4:1 states that men and women are created from a single soul (nafs wahidah). One person does not come before the other, one is not superior to the other, and one is not the derivative of the other. A woman is not created for the purpose of a man. Rather, they are both created for the mutual benefit of each other.

In fact if we go in to the history we see that every era has always been structured on its economic system. In slave age even with the presence of thoughts of Socrates the women were treated as part of property like other slaves and even Socrates treated them as part of property in his writings. Then Feudalism and Mercantile (Trading era) came. In this the stress was to give equal rights to everyone even to slaves instead of making them free. Even in Islam keeping slaves and maid slaves or keeping women as wives were not forbidden but was ordered to free them or give them equal rights. These instructions were used by every ruler after end of caliphate by keeping thousands of Kaneez along with their wives and religious authorities supported them in Banu Ummia, Banu Abbas, Usmania, Mughals and other ruler’s periods. This system was even in vogue in Europe. However onward 19^th 20^th and now in 21^st century these setups are breaking. Even in UK women got their right of vote in 1930.

Now at the end of 2^nd decade of 21^st Century, things are quite different. Now a woman’s Day (WD), originally called International Working Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year just as a symbol that fight is still going on. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women’s economic, political and social achievements. In Pakistan Fatima Jinnah, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Benazir Bhutto, Mukhtaran Bibi, Malala Yousafzai are some of the names who have struggled for women rights.

But still the struggle is going on. Pakistan ranks as the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women, with cases of sexual crimes and domestic violence recording a rapid rise. Activists blame society’s patriarchal attitudes for the problem. Domestic violence in Pakistan is an endemic social and public health problem. According to a study carried out in 2019 by Human Rights Watch, it is estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of women in Pakistan have suffered some form of abuse. An estimated 10,000 women are killed per year from domestic violence, with thousands of others maimed or disabled.

We all should respect women rights given by Islam but not yet given in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The women are our mothers, sisters, Daughters and mother of our children and 216 million Pakistanis are required to stand with them.