Adil Najam
This photograph was published in Daily Times, January 12, 2009. The caption read:
“Women are not allowed in the market,” reads a banner displayed at the entrance of a market in Mingora. Taliban have banned the entry of women in markets and ordered the killing of women who violate the ban. Most shop owners have sold or shut down their businesses because of falling sales following the restriction.
What would have made this tragic depiction comical had the context been different is that from the picture this is clearly a textile and cloth market – the type of market where, in Pakistan, you would expect most customers to be women!
“was ruled by a Pakistan”
should be read as
“was ruled by a Pakistani Woman”
more freedom there than in Pakistan
You are amazing,atheist! few comments back you were cursing Pakistan that Women do not enjoy freedom while unlike US, Pakistan was ruled by a Pakistan more than 5 years and when you were given a recent example than you brought up something else.
what kind of Women freedom in US are you talking about? If you mean working in different departments then same happen here as well. Women are every where. If you are talking about Western vulgarity and how West uses a woman as TOY in name of modeling and other things then it’s … also happening in Pakistan too. Now you will find a woman in shaving cream Ad though I wonder what the heck woman has to do with a shaving cream.
My friend,come out of wonderland and face the reality.
@Aamir Ali
Exactly thats my point. I am not a muslim but i know that Prophet’s (PBUH) wife was a well respected lady of her times. And IIRC she even was the first one to put forward her marriage proposal.
When women had so much freedom 1600 years back, why has the current situation so bad ? Why are females treated like they are there in Saudi and isn’t Pakistan becoming next Saudi ? My 1947 referece was due to the fact that 1947 was a significant point in Pakistani histroy and the clerics now are pushing this Islamic/Sharia rules refer Pakistan’s creation for Islam as their argument. Do not say that this is limited to SWAT only, God forbid, the next in number might be Peshawar, and then Islamabad.
@Adnan Siddiqi
As far as USofA is concerned you would also agree that women enjoy more freedom there than in Pakistan. Also one day they will have a Woman president and Pakistan, contitutionally can’t. I agree there has been injustice to females in all socieites but things are improving in India and elsewhere. In your country they are getting worse.
On a personal level i am sad about the things happening in Pakistan because i have grown up seeing Ptv in India(Nilaam ghar, ABC, Raahain, Night Rider etc, last year only i again saw Raahain again on youtube, Pa Basu rocks!!!) and can identify with most of Pakistan. OTOH I am not surprised by whats happening there. If someone can justify 1 million killings just to be called Pakistani rather than Hindustani, i just think worse is yet to come !!!
This depiction is a very sad state of affairs. Whereas the Taliban’s stand against the US is a praiseworthy act of courage, their ideology has real problems and is unworkable. Historically, Islam is known for liberating women but these people are harkening back to the jahilliyah where the society was male dominated and regressive.
I wonder what the so called army operation is doing in Sawat when schools, especially those of girls, are being blasted or closed and innocent people being butchered.
As to what is Islam, it is not the issue presently, as any thing can be proved if we search the plethora of islamic literature produced during the last 14 centuries. The question which we face to day is whether can we allow imposing any type of religion by force or terror as is being done in Sawat today. The sad thing is army has apparently failed to check the Taliban onslaught and this Pakiland, God forbid, is going to be turned into Talibani Afghanistan sooner or later as there seems to be no commited force to check it within Pakistan. In fact no body is even aware of the danger we are facing today except Althaf Hussain of MQM who has been raiusing the alarm since long.