KARACHI:
Yesterday, I was shocked to read about the incident where a nine-year-old boy shot his aunt “in order to preserve the family’s honour”. Honour killings are on the rise yet again (or more are being reported now) and the media is flooded with horrifying stories of women being killed in the name of upholding the family honour.
Are only women responsible for upholding the family honour? Why are women solely burdened with the responsibility of preserving the honour and respect of a family? Our religion allows both genders to marry of their own free will and bestows equal rights on both men and women. Women have all the right to marry a man of their choice and this right has been given to them by their religion.
Islam is a very progressive religion but many of its teachings have, unfortunately, been interpreted by its followers in accordance with their personal preferences. Cultural taboos and prohibitions have also shaped the fabric of our society to a large extent. Of course, we have also absorbed and imbibed Hindu traditions with the result that the true essence of Islam has been lost.
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy made a documentary about honour killings and won an Oscar for it. Instead of applauding her for bringing such a pressing issue to the forefront, she was accused of washing our dirty linen in public. If women from his country are progressive, educated, enlightened and strong enough to highlight and shed light on critical issues plaguing this country, they should be encouraged, motivated and supported rather than being browbeaten and trolled on social media platforms. Women make up more than 50% of the population and their voices must be heard and taken seriously.
This might sound like the rant of a feminist but until we empower and embolden our womenfolk, we will continue to struggle. The honour killings in this society are reflective of the feudal mindset prevalent in our country which still regards women as second or third class citizens and refuses to give them the same rights as men.
Let us stand behind these women who are striving to bring about a change in society by highlighting pressing social issues. They deserve our support and encouragement and not our criticism and condemnation.
Gaitee Ara Siddiqi
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2020.
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