Activist Shaniera Akram, who recently landed in hot waters for pandering to men after the Greater Iqbal Park incident, has now defended her claims on Twitter.
Her earlier tweet did not sit well with users because they felt it was ‘tone-deaf’ and attempted to comfort men at a time when the focus should solely be on amplifying the concerns of women, especially since a female TikToker had been subjected to sexual assault by over 400 men at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, on Independence Day.
Akram had tweeted, “My heart goes out to all the good men of Pakistan. I’m sorry so many of your brothers have failed you.” Now, sharing a news report on the backlash, Akram has tweeted again.
“If people didn’t understand the intention of my tweet then that’s not my problem,” she wrote. Adding, “Trust me, I don’t just tweet for the sake of it! I think you all know me enough by now to know exactly where my heart lies especially when it comes to the welfare of women and children in Pakistan!”
If people didn’t understand the intention of my tweet then that’s not my problem. Trust me, I don’t just tweet for the sake of it! I think you all know me enough by now to know exactly where my heart lies especially when it comes to the welfare of Women and Children in Pakistan! https://t.co/yrSqzoQDgc
— Shaniera Akram (@iamShaniera) August 23, 2021
Earlier, her tweet prompted users to dub her ‘tone-deaf’, leaving others to point out how good men never had to suffer the consequences of the decisions of bad men. If anything, they’re equally complicit for either not calling their ‘bros’ out or benefiting from the privilege they have to offer.
“All men benefit from the actions of bad men. The existence of bad men grants ‘good’ men or men just doing the bare minimum awards just for being decent people,” explained a user. Another responded, “This is so incredibly tone-deaf of you to say. I'm honestly disappointed. Pakistani women suffer through so much, it is our struggle that needs to be highlighted, not the ‘Not All Men’ bandwagon.”
Calling out the ill-timed nature of the tweet, a post read, “I can recall so many instances where so many men behaved like they own the place or the woman or the child or the goat. Don't know about the good men. Men will never understand what a woman goes through every day. And these are the worst of the times to sympathize with men.”
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