The warped mindset of the CII

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has put forth a ‘women’s protection bill’ after rejecting the Punjab Assembly’s bill of the same name, having deemed it to be ‘un-Islamic’. The CII’s proposals contain clauses that read like a medieval text devised to oppress women in the Dark Ages. ‘Light’ beatings are recommended in case a woman fails to obey her husband’s commands regarding her dress, social interactions and marital relations. The controlling of wives and bringing them to heel is for the collective good of society, according to the CII. It also believes that light beatings are not the same as violence, especially if the victim happens to be a woman and instead of using a traditional weapon, one can opt for something novel like a hat, handkerchief or a turban. However, there is no explanation on how these ‘non-violent’ light beatings will protect women.

The ‘benevolent’ body, which it must be noted proposed its recommendations without the participation of any woman member, thinks that it is acceptable for women to participate in politics and become judges. One wonders how a woman judge or politician would fare in a world in which her husband reserves the right to beat her for speaking loud enough to be heard by strangers. Perhaps, before every political rally or legal verdict she would obtain the consent of her discerning spouse. The CII’s recommendations also allow women to own property but combine this with the injunction that providing monetary support to anyone without a husband’s approval could lead to a beating. In its obsession to control the minds and bodies of women, the CII has drafted proposals, which are devoid of logic and are contradictory to the realities of life in modern-day Pakistan. This is a country where there is a veritable epidemic of sexual and physical violence against women, which is mostly ignored by the state and society. It is now up to the lawmakers to dismiss these preposterous proposals and save women from these misguided attempts at protection.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2016.

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