Ghazanfar Hussain
How the woman calmly stands in between the clutches of these hands, approaching eagerly towards her. It provoked me to respond with more vivid views and suggestions to play the role of the Society. Society needs more information and awareness to play its roles. This responsibility is to repose upon the educators and how to combat the phenomena. Society is a fine blend of men and women. Presently the ratio of women is higher than men. Having the majority in ratio, the women are still at stake. They have to face demeaning attitudes, unwelcome verbal and written remarks, or physical conduct at work or public places and advancing in such a way that causes agonies for them. To be fair, men also experienced harassment but it is not labeled with hue and cry because harassment is the stigma of women.
In any society, in any religion, harassment of women is considered a shameful act, and everywhere condemned it openly. Where is the problem? What incite the others to harass the others? In Muslim societies, harassment must be uprooted. Islam is a complete code of life whereas Islam is considered a religion like other religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Unfortunately many think, the birth of Islam was just 1400 years ago. They think it was founded by Mohammad (S.A.W) same as previous religions were founded by some Prophets. They deny the Quran which says “O Marry ! Lo, Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure and hath preferred thee above all the women of the world”.
My question is to all “who take an oath to hold public office “That I will strive to preserve the Islamic Ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan”. And Pakistan must be free from all types of injustices, cruelties, and discriminations.
Teachings of Islam are the major binding over the men and women to protect themselves and others if they witness any untoward incidence. During the early eighties, society plays its role and responsibilities. Over time span, our priorities have changed. Society has forgotten its role and thus fiber of the society weaken their grip. This has shaken the whole structure and direly needed to revisit ideologies of our forefathers and to restore the status of the society. The main emblem of our culture is Islam and its teachings. Islam teaches us “Neither defames one another nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness. After faith and who so turneth not in repentance, such are evil-doers” Surah Al-Hujarat (49: 12). In another Surah “Allah does not love evil talk in public unless it is by someone who has been injured thereby” (Al-Nisa 4: 148). Allah how clearly proclaim that He has indeed, created man in the best of mould” (Al-Tin (95:4).
Man was created from the quintessence of clay. Then placed him as to drop of sperm in a place of rest firmly fixed. Then made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then of that cloth made a fetus lump. Then made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best of create. (Surah Al-Mumenoon: 23 (12-14 ayahs).
How nicely Allah exemplifies the creation of man and declares the best of creatures and blessing of Allah. Allah blessed the man and man entangled himself into plunges of vices. It is society that makes the man righteous and pious. No one permits and accepts his role which is causing disturbance for the others irrespective of men and women. May we blame the whole society who fails to discharge its role positively that demands by Allah and by us. For the betterment and empowerment of women, many reforms have been introduced including Women Division established in 1979 and upgraded as Ministry for Women Development in 1994. The establishment of Women Police Stations, Women’s Bank, and Women’s University has failed to provide protection, and the miseries of women are not lessened. Pakistan is also a member of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). Today’s situation is very unfortunate despite adopting all these measures for the safety of women but women are becoming more vulnerable than earlier day by day. Recent incidences against women have jolted the whole society. Visible blends of tradition have changed the societal setup very deeply. Some proverbs were invented due to ignorance and still are applied. Today women are playing their roles in every sphere of life. Some mischiefs still harass the women. Women are more vulnerable rather they are working house ladies. It is a rough old world for women as the feminists never come to remind us. They blame countries of social conditioning, a kind of conspiracy whereby men all over the world somehow contrive to keep women in a subordinate role much simpler and more probable explanation is that universal male dominance stems not from social oppression but from fundamental differences between the sexes.
Professor Seven Gulberg of New York in his book put forward this view in his book “The Inevitability of Patriarchy”. It can be further explained by the male hormone testosterone which programmers the infant male for a life of greater aggression and dominance while he is still in the womb. Why little boys are clearly more aggressive than little girls even before they have had a chance to be socially conditioned. Men are far more ready to sacrifice for the sake of their career. Margaret Mead a woman anthropologist glibly said “ No better than different”. Unfortunately women have greater emotional awareness. Little girls are commonly more thoughtful and sensitive so parental moods than little boys. The central facts is that men and women are different from each other from the gene to the thought to the act. These differences flow from the biological natures of men and women.. Men look to women for gentleness, kindness and love.
The basic male motivation is protection of women and children. With respect to personality traits, men are characterized by greater aggressiveness, dominance and achievement motivation and women by greater dependency and the tendency to the more easily discouraged by failure than men. Quran in contradict to the Bible, places equal blame on both Adam and Eve for their mistake. In the Holy Quran there is no temptress, no seducer and no deceiver. Eve is not to be blamed for the pains. No one punished for another’s faults. Both committed a sin and then asked for forgiveness and He forgave them both. Nine curses inflicted on women at a result of their Fall. Burden of the blood of menstruation, blood of virginity, burden of pregnancy, burden of childbirth, burden of bringing up the children, her head is covered as one in mourning, piercing her ears and nose like a permanent slave, not believed to be a witness and after everything – the death. To the present day, orthodox Jewish men recite in their daily morning prayer “ Blessed be God of the universe that thou has not made me woman. Praised be God that he has not created me a gentile. Praised be God that he has not created me a woman. Praised be God that he has not created me an ignoramus.
What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman! Fail to see what use woman can be to man, if one excludes the function of bearing children”.
For Muslim Men and Women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, guard their chastity and engage much in Allah’s praise. For them all has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. Whoever works evil will not be required but by the like thereof and whoever works a righteous deed whether man or woman is a believer such will enter the Garden of Bliss. The legal status of the women in Pakistan cannot be simply defined or assessed. There are no clarity of parameters within which their status can be identified. Nor is a discussion on their legal rights sufficient to explain their status since status implies not merely their rights under the law, but their actual position. Discrimination in the laws and inadequacy of legal protections and safeguards make them socially weak position and even more insecure.
And now we will make human beings, they will be like us and resemble us. So Allah created human being making them to be like Himself”. (Bible Genesis 26-27)
All divine religions declare the man is best creature of Allah who makes them like Himself. What a shame if one still do mischiefs and labeled as wrong doer . In olden days, situation of women was much miserable. They are considered degraded items and have no status of her own. Roman Law kept the status of women very low for a long time.
Women should develop their aptitude in accordance with their own nature without trying to imitate the males. Their part in the progress of civilization is higher than that of men. Sexual harassment of working women is endemic. Numerous women’s organizations for this case have failed to protect the women. Half of the American female working force has suffered this type of harassment at work but there are no hues and cries that prevail in our society. It is because of our teachings of Islam. Insidious harassment of unwanted pushing and touching, persistent sexual demands, offensive sexual comments and constant conversations containing sexual innuendoes and coarse language. The offender usually makes his moves swiftly and silently, when there are not witnesses around. He is usually confident that fear, embarrassment and often the hopelessness of the situation will keep the victim from make public complaints. The culprit made every defence that this grey area of social attitudes and innuendoes provides. When it is so hard for a rape victim to prove she has been violated one can imagine how much harder it is for a victim of the less dramatic forms of violence to prove her case. In such instances, if the offenders are their supervisors, women who resist or complain find themselves burdened with an increased workload, scathing work evaluation, unwarranted reprimands and sheer hostility.
So many quite their jobs rather than go to court. When neither alternative seems feasible they give in quietly. Can there be a law to prevent a bird from being trampled on when it encounters a bull? According to modern thinking, giving equal status to women meant bringing them out of their homes and standing them face to face with men in all facets of life without any regard for the practical and moral problems which might ensue. Islam on the other hand defines separate roles and therefore, separate spheres of work for men and women. Since it is natural and realistic to do so. The other great error made by modern western thinkers was to assume that a role which was separate and different and played out in other than traditionally masculine strongholds, was necessarily of trifling importance. In western societies, which have attained a high level of material development, men and women still live and work in their own domains. The status of women is, in practice, almost the same as it was in ancient times. 1400 years ago, Islam launched a much needed “Women’s lib movement, whose purpose was to free women from artificial curbs and to give them the position which any normal human being should have in society. This movement raised their status without any sacrifice of femininity or values and without creating any perversion in society. Women are still blamed for harassment. Presence of women at public places and acceptance level of gender norms is determining women behavior. In most of studies men are agents and women are victims. Harassment of women is often ignored and taken nonchalantly. In patriarchal societies, women are fearful of stigmas of immoral and westernized if they seek to raise their voices against harassment.
This would be more harmful and shame for their families. Women still lacking lawful and societal protection against the wrong doers. At times women appear so helpless and even afraid to share it with others closer to them. Sooner or later women forgo their legal rights on behalf of the sanctity of them and their family. In recent past many cases brought before the courts of law but women are forced to relinquish from their legal rights and eventually culprits are still at large. This is the tragedy women are facing honking word whenever they have to pass by the men. Women have to stand up for their rights and have to believed that law will protect you if you raise your voice against the culprits.
