Sappy

Fake it till you make it. We’re all aware that we, as desis, are an epitome of peak hypocrisy. It’s like hypocrisy, deceit, bigotry and double standards run in our bloods and tend to manifest themselves in our daily lives. All the way from top to bottom, we aspire to achieve greatness as long as it doesn’t require much doing. Most of the times, we plagiarise our work in order to make it stand out and then preach ideas of originality.

One of our favorite mantras to recite, though, is to label things as being unreligious. Things which might cost us a dime, maybe a little ego or our entire fortunes. Ring any bells? Let me make it easy for you. 8^th March 2022, International Women’s Day. Under the auspices of the international women’s day, Pakistan celebrates the Aurat March where women all over the country march in their respective cities and chant slogans demanding equal pay, equal rights and fair treatment. Sounds quite unreligious, doesn’t it? It doesn’t end there though. Various factions in the country go as far as labelling the entire march as an attention seeking gimmick, putting forth the reason that women already have rights in the country.

Well, I agree. When women already possess adequate rights, what’s the issue? Well, the country already possesses laws too, so should we just abolish the judicial system as well? The arguments put forth by radicals and conservatives generally tend to revolve around the sensitive yet the worn-out rhetoric of religion. That religion has already bestowed rights upon the opposite sex. Well, by that argument, so has God and the constitution upon everyone else, but we still require someone to implement these rights. The judicial institutions of the country have been entrusted with ensuring that people get their constitutional rights. Similarly, the idea of celebrating international women’s day is to commemorate the political and social achievements of women all around the world. The Aurat March follows along the same lines but furthers its objectives towards demanding basic rights for women who routinely face oppression, domestic violence and honour killings at the hands of ‘pious’, ‘honorable’ and ‘holy’ men. The men who never sin. Let’s call them saints instead. The monks are probably rolling in their graves right now.

The idea of consent, inter alia, has long evaded our society. From marital rapes to underage marriages, we have been the masters of it all. And despite such atrocities, we have the audacity and courage to preach righteousness and holiness to the women of our society. Of course, being bad is the first step to being good. We will watch all the artists and dramas on the television but then we will go to their social media accounts and tell them to cover up. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? And don’t even get me started on the notion of men dictating women on how to cover themselves. That debate is as bland, unwarranted and useless as the apologies put forth by harassers, especially by those who make music for a living. Sit down, we’ve seen it all.

To add insult to injury, the Federal Shariat Court has now directed women to return 100% of haq mehar back to their husbands if they seek khula. So, if a housewife, who earns nothing and stays at home all day, is being subjected to assault and battery by her husband, she has to now return her haq mehar to her husband if she wants to break free from an abusive marriage. Who comes up with all this?

Well, let’s settle on one thing. We, as a nation, thrive on corruption, immorality, hypocrisy and patriarchy, but the only thing that is un-Islamic is a group of women, demanding rights. Will we ever break free of this prejudice and hate?

Let us inculcate values of equality, freedom and liberation in our children. Let’s teach our sons that women are equal and just as human. But beware, he’ll keep you in a jar and you’ll think you’re happy.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2022.

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