Women are equal, they cannot be ignored
Women’s issues should be debated and they should have a say ill important matters
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Women have been exploited since ancient times in one way or the other. History has borne witness that women never found solace but for some time. They have been treated inhumanely at every moment. Their presence was as a source of shame. They were no better than an animal.
We can blame that period because people at that time were not civilized. But during the present times too women are still being treated inhumanely. Today, we have reached the pinnacles of development and enlightenment but there is something missing miserably that stops us to treat women as they are entitled to. What are the causes responsible for this situation? What is the way out of this mess?
The first basic cause responsible for this is that we are prejudiced and stereotypes. In the long history of the world, it had crept somewhere that women were not fit to live. If they were, they would not be better than an animal. They always were kept under a strict watch. They would have no say in the society. Moreover, for their development, they would remain dependent over the rules and regulations, made by men.
In the present world, the same is happening again. Women still are at the lowest ebb. They have no say in the society. They can’t take their own decisions. They are dictated by others. Socially, economically, politically, ethically, etc., they are subservient to men. They are free slaves.
The second basic cause is that the religious and non religious books are distorted under the garb of women subjugation. Deliberately, the divine principles are distorted to appease men. God is being quoted to have said t men that it is his duty to enslave women in order to keep society on the right track.
This kind of mindset has proved false in the past and is also proving false in the contemporary world. How can the Creator distinguish between a man and a woman on the basis of some peripheral differences? When the basics are same, there remains no ground for distinguishing a man and a woman. It is this crooked version of religious and non-religious scriptures that have enslaved women.
The third basic cause responsible for this is that women undergo certain physical changes in order to carry out the will of God that they have been created for. Women menstruate and produce babies. This taboo of menstruation has made the lives of women hellish.
Everywhere, they face humiliation. I am amazed at this thinking because all the people of the world are nourished on these changes women undergo. Moreover, women are generally called the producers of babies. They have no work but to be like a machine of producing babies. If a man does every kind of wrong in a day, he will use her wife for the sake of enjoyment.
The fourth and the last basic cause responsible for this in my opinion is that in our society, legal things are never debated while illegal things are discussed and debated everywhere. There should have been open discussions over issues that haunt us day in and day out. Menstruation, sexual intercourses, puberty, pregnancy, etc., should have been discussed. Illegal sex should have been taught to every girl and a boy. Teenage sex should have been abhorred if there had been enlightened persons in our society. Parents should have discussed sex with their children. A mother should have been teaching her daughter that why you do menstruate. What is the way to be followed when you have the sexual desires? In the same vein, a father should have been teaching his son that what the nocturnal emissions are. What is a wet dream? What is the way to be followed in case of a sexual desire? What to do if a girl or a boy feels attracted towards a boy and a girl respectively?
When these things are not discussed, the society itself pursues the path of orthodoxy and the result is that women, instead of boys, get exploited. In case of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he used to discuss the so-called private things openly.
He didn’t keep any curtain between the public and the private things. He taught to his Companions that a girl also goes through nocturnal emissions as a boy goes. It resulted in a healthy environment of knowing each other.
Now, let us try to understand the remedial measures that can somehow change their position a bit. But it will be very less, given the enormous task that has to do.
The first remedial measure is that we should leave prejudices and stereotypes. It will help in maintaining a good environment of learning from each other. Moreover, it will help us a lot in respecting women.
The second remedial measure is that the religious and non-religious scriptures should be reinterpreted. They should be given second thought. Truth should be applied in the society. If it goes against the wishes of men, there should be no compromise on this. Why to hide truth if it is in the favor of women?
The third remedial measure is that menstruation and producing babies is from divinity. We can’t go against it. Menstruation keeps women’s health fit and kicking. Irregularity in emission of blood or irregular periods can prove disastrous. If a man’s blood in the battlefield earns him Paradise, the same blood earns her shame. What a paradox! This paradox has to be removed. If in case of an emergency, a woman’s blood can save the life of a man, why the man speaks foul of her after sometime. This mindset has to change. Producing babies is an honor. It is not a shame.
The last remedial measure is that there should be an open discussion on things that are so-called private in nature. Men and women should discuss each other’s issues. There should be no privacy. If I have sexual desire, I should convey it to my parents. Why to bury it? It is my need. I can’t control it long. I will be forced to have illegal sex, if it is not discussed. There should be platforms where there are debates about sex. It will make our society in general and the lives of women in particular.
Last but not the least, it is the responsibility of everyone to give women what they are entitled to. They are enlightening themselves day by day. We can’t keep them in dark for a long time. They should be taken into account. They should be listened to. They should be treated humanely. They need our care. They need our love. They are alone in a crowd. They hide their tears. Their tears have worth. They should be rated accordingly. Let us try our best to give them what they are created for.
