Pointing out faults, analyzing and learning from them has been the very basis of human development. One’s patriotism should not blind him of accountability of the state or the people. Biased opinions with an inclination towards our own can be more damaging than the good we might think it does. And I find this very common, be it a religious or a political bias, we turn to avoid unpleasantries. Our religious downfall as a state, society, and institution is real. How many of you have heard of it? We don’t talk about the things we don’t like and the same is happening with our women. Males who are mostly in-charge of the family system in our community, don’t recognize women’s issues. And our misinterpreted religious thought has played a role of a catalyst. I know it is a bold statement but it needs to be addressed whether anyone likes or not.
Defective system
For most of my adolescent years, I have blamed females for leaving home and doing the same things I did. For a long time, I have believed that a women’s place is the home. And I wasn’t alone in thinking so. Many more like-minded people existed and do exist today as well. Mistakes I did in the name of religion were because of an established system. A system in which a version of the religion was presented as unquestionable. A pre-defined set of rules that could not be changed or challenged, even if they were influenced by culture and customs. A firm thought had been implanted into the masses that the propagators of the religion were perfect. This ideology created a bunch of self-proclaimed elite, people who presented religion according to their modalities. These so-called religious scholars and their sermons took people into oblivion. Over decades, a system was designed where faith wasn’t considered complete until it wasn’t blind. Such a system of loyalty, not towards the religion and its scripture but the preachers, destroyed the peaceful essence of Islam, particularly in the sub-continent.
Women and our obsession
Islam gives men and women equal rights. It gives us the right to life, education, property, the right to free choice within halal limits. Once women understand this, their lives will change. But unfortunately, UNICEF notes that out of 24 nations with less than 60% female primary enrollment rates, 17 were Muslim nations; more than half the adult population is illiterate in several Muslim countries, and the proportion reaches 70% among Muslim women. Women are completely deprived of their rights particularly in the middle and lower-middle-class sections of the society. It seems like every sharia law is meant for women and men have been let loose.
Our religious rage towards Women
Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance but for decades now especially in our part of the world, we have presented it as a religion of ignorance and intolerance. With more than a dozen sects and the animosity within, religious preachers have acted as the fuel to the fire. No one is patient enough to hear other opinion. Like some of my readers would find it hard to read all this. Rage is all that is propagated. Our scholars sell perfection and shout at anyone questioning it. Look people in general are always innocent even though they are the ones committing the crime. It is the messenger and the light bearer who is to be blamed. The responsible cluster of people who should be called out for leading people into darkness. For creating a society intolerant of each other and every other opinion.
A culture of no tolerance towards women is thought to be Islamic. And scholars are to be blamed absolutely. They have defined women as obedient, submissive creature where men are their masters. We have denied women the right of having an opinion. Freedom doesn’t mean a belly stuffed with food, it is the peace of mind. Portrayal of women as subordinates rather than equal partners in a marriage has lead to lot of exploitation. Unfortunately the tradition of measuring piousness is a bug that we can’t get rid of. Women willing to go to any part of the world to achieve their goals, can also be of pious nature. Vulnerable women in troublesome relationships asking for divorce can be pious. We are never shown this side. Anyone asking questions and acting out of the set norms is dealt with rage. Woman of lower socio-economic class is so oppressed that she can’t dare to ask for due rights in education, property, or opinion. And when women from the upper class sometime go rogue, every woman is blamed and shamed for it. Their method of acquiring education, what they wear, and how they behave, everything is questioned and scrutinized. Women are trolled like no one and harassed and blamed in general. By nature, women are weak and have been exploited throughout history in various civilizations. Islam, that once liberated women is witnessing them again in shackles but this time in its name.
Samiullah is a Medical Student