#ARTICLE #NO:- 06
By: Syed Mustafa Ahmad.
Why Women are Still Denied Their Basic Rights?
Since a long time ago and in the present as well, women have been
exploited in one way or another. They have been treated inhumanely
at every moment of time. Their presence was as a source of shame.
They were no better than an animal. We can blame them for not
being civilized. But at the present moment, women are still being
treated inhumanely. Today, we have reached the pinnacles of
development but there is something missing miserably that should
have given women the due that they are entitled to. What are the
causes responsible for this situation? What is the way out of this
mess? It will be discussed in this article.
The first basic cause responsible for this is that we have prejudices
and stereotypes. In the long history of the world, it had crept
somewhere that women were not fit to live. If they were, they would
not be better than an animal. They always were to keep under a strict
watch. They would have no say in the society. Moreover, for their
development, they would remain dependent over the rules and
regulations, made by men. In the present world, the same is
happening again. Women still are at the lowest ebb. They have no say
in the society. They can’t take their own decisions. They are dictated
by others. Socially, economically, politically, ethically, etc., they are
subservient to men. They are free slaves. This is the creation of
prejudices and stereotypes.
The second basic cause is that the religious and non religious
books are distorted in the name of women subjugation. Deliberately,
the divine principles are distorted to appease men. God is being said
to men that it is the duty of men to enslave women in order to keep
society on the roads right track. This kind of mindset has proved false
in the past and is also proving false in the contemporary world. How
can a single Creator distinguish between a man and a woman on the
basis of some peripheral differences? When the basics are same,
there remains no ground for distinguishing between a man and a
woman. It is this crooked version of religious and non-religious
scriptures that have enslaved women since a long time ago.
The third basic cause responsible for this is that women
menstruate and produce babies. This taboo of menstruation has
made the lives of women hellish. Every where, they face humiliation
because their bodies produce blood through private parts. I am
amazed at this thinking because all the people of the world are
nourished on this so-called dirty blood. When this blood is dirty then
all the male in the world are dirty. Sanitary pads are looked through
the eyes of suspicion. They are kept behind curtains so that they are
not seen by the orthodox society. Moreover, women are generally
called the producers of babies. They have no work but to be like a
machine of producing babies. If a man does every kind of wrong in a
day, he will use her wife for the sake of enjoyment. He will not think
that I enjoy with a human being. She has demands. She is worthy of
living. She has sentiments. But this doesn’t occur to a man and he
overlooks a woman.
The fourth and the last basic cause responsible for this in my opinion
is that in our society, legal things are never discussed while illegal
things are discussed and debated everywhere. There should have
been continuous discussions over issues that haunt us day in and day
out. Menstruation, sexual intercourses, puberty, pregnancy, etc.,
should have been discussed. Illegal sex should have been taught to
every girl and a boy. Teenage sex should have been abhorred if there
had been enlightened persons in our society. Parents should have
discussed sex with their children. A mother should have been teaching
her daughter that why you do menstruate. What is the way to be
followed when you have the sexual desires? In the same vein, a father
should have been teaching his son that what the nocturnal emissions
are. What is a wet dream? What is the way to be followed in case of a
sexual desire? What to do if a girl or a boy feels attracted towards a
boy and a girl respectively? When these things are not discussed, the
society itself pursues the path of orthodoxy and the result is that
women, instead of boys, get exploited. In case of Prophet Muhammad
( PBUH), he used to discuss the so-called private things openly. He
didn’t keep any curtain behind the public and the private things. He
taught to his Companions that a girl also goes through nocturnal
emissions as a boy goes. It resulted in a healthy environment of
knowing each other.
The above-mentioned things are some causes responsible for the
exploitation of women on useless grounds. Now, I will shift my focus
over the remedial measures that can somehow change their position
a bit. But it will be very less, given the enormous task that has to do.
The first remedial measure is that we should leave prejudices and
stereotypes. It will help in maintaining a good environment of
learning from each other. Moreover, it will help us a lot in respecting
women.
The second remedial measure is that the religious and non-
religious scriptures should be reinterpreted. They should be given
second thought. The truth should be applied in the society. If it goes
against the wishes of men, there should be no compromise on this.
Why to hide truth if it is in the favor of women?
The third remedial measure is that menstruation and producing
babies is from divinity. We can’t go against it. Menstruation keeps a
women’s health fit and kicking. Irregularity in emission of blood or
irregular periods can prove disastrous. If a man’s blood in the
battlefield earns him Paradise, the same blood earns her shame.
What a paradox! This paradox has to be removed. If in case of an
emergency, a woman’s blood can save the life of a man, why the man
speaks foul of her after sometime. This mindset has to change.
Producing babies is an honor. It is not a shame.
The last remedial measure is that there should be an open
discussion on things that are so-called private in nature. Men and
women should discuss each other’s issues. There should be no
privacy. If I have sexual desire, I should convey it to my parents. Why
to bury it? It is my need. I can’t control it long. I will be forced to have
illegal sex, if it is not discussed. There should be platforms where
there are debates about sex. It will make our society in general and
the lives of women in particular.
Last but not the least, it is the responsibility of everyone to give
women what they are entitled to. They are enlightening themselves
day by day. We can’t keep them in dark for a long time. They should
be taken into account. They should be listened to. They should be
treated humanely. They need our care. They need our love. They are
alone in a crowd. They hide their tears. Their tears have worth. They
should be rated accordingly. Let us try our best to give them what
they are created for.
