KARACHI:
As Muslims around the globe are celebrating the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Pakistani society is no exception. It is heartening to see the neighbourhoods decorated with buntings, mosques lit up, and rallies and congregations being arranged. However, what seems to have been lost on us is the teachings of this last messenger of God.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is regarded as a human rights advocate who gave us one of the earliest charters of human rights in the form of his last sermon. His egalitarian reforms in Madina protected the rights of the marginalised while especially uplifting the social status of women of that era and of those who came after.
Despite revering the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Pakistani society has failed to provide its women the security and dignity they deserve. Women and girls remain acutely vulnerable to domestic violence, sexual abuse, honour killings, forced marriages and acid attacks. Walking on a street is never a pleasant experience for a woman in Pakistan. The patriarchal norms of this society have made every woman doubt her status and dignity as a human.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, there has been a consecutive 25 per cent increase over the years in the reported cases of violence against women. The recent acid attack on Dr Mahnoor Nasir in Quetta and the horrific killing of Hina Javed should have shaken us as a nation. Instead, these news pieces have become routine given their frequency and the society’s subsequent empathy to them.
It is high time that we began implementing the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in their true spirit, and along with decorating our neighborhoods, we make them safe for women.
Iqra Naseer
Hyderabad
