
KARACHI:
Reading about the sexual abuse of a minor at the hands of a 70-year-old religious cleric shook me to the core. Clerics in this country wield unimaginable amount of power and ever since military dictator Zia-ul-Haq gave them such power, each and every successive government has pandered to their each and every whim. Imran Khan is no different. For a man who pretends to be so liberal and progressive, the regressive and patriarchal views expressed by him recently on rape are absolutely shocking.
Condoning rape by placing the onus solely on the victim completely absolves the perpetrator of any wrongdoing. How does he explain the sexual assaults going on in madrassas? And the rampant increase in child abuse cases where the perpetrator is generally a member of the victim’s family? Rape is about control and power more than anything else. Are only women wearing flimsy clothing being raped? Females already remain discouraged from reporting rape crimes because of the kind of extremely personal and invasive questioning that they are subjected to during investigation.
The Prime Minister of a country which is already viewed as extremely patriarchal and backward should be more prudent and judicious with his words, especially when addressing such controversial views on global platforms. Instead of trying to mitigate the extreme power wielded by religious clerics, the PM is actually acting as an apologist. This will exacerbate an already explosive situation.
Gaitee Ara Siddiqi
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2021.
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