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!
I believe that this current article and the related stories coming out of Swat (defacing historic relics etc.) are of a more than a passing interest to a lot of people. It is especially so for us in India since the we share our country with 140 million fellow Indians who follow Islam.
I do gather from the posts that most people think what is happening in Swat is not Islamic but am interested in knowing what is the current thinking of educated muslims regarding women rights as interpreted in the secular, western societies. Are they equal?
What about other people who can be described as mostly good even by islamic standards but do not followIslam (such as me). Is there anything in the Koran that really says that people like me are less of humans? Are we ‘others’ less perfect than the Umma?
What about the rich and historic cultural achievements of muslim societies before they adopted Islam? (eg Pakistan, Iran, Egypt) Should they be deleted or can the nations be Islamic and still take pride in the achievements of their ancestors?
I am not asking rhetorical questions; I am interested in finding out how the majority of Pakistanis think since genetically they are closer to us Indian Punjabis than they are to say the Sudanese Muslims?
Do they feel this kinship too?
Jehangir, I think Islam has some beautiful ideas as well as some bad ones. The idea of brotherhood among men and the sense of community are ideas which I find very nice.
For the record, never once would I think of lecturing you that Islam is bad and other religions are good. It’s not as black and white as that. Please point out where I have said this. All I’ve said is that the claim that women’s rights were introduced by Islam is not true.
For those interested in talking about Hindu society’s flaws – its treatment of women, its caste system problems, dowry issues etc – I strongly recommend you visit one of the many websites devoted to those subjects.
I visit this board to discuss Pakistan and issues relating to it. CAn we please stick to those?
I keep repeating: On this Pakistan-related board, can we please leave India or Hinduism etc out of it? Hinduism is not a perfect belief system and has many problems, no doubt about it. This is not the forum to discuss them.
Let’s focus on the article at hand and claims being made about Islam vis-a-vis women’s rights.
@Arjun
You may have read about Women in Islam at some website, that doesnt apply to every Muslim country/community in this world. In Pakistan, a woman’s testimony is equal to that of a man, and in Pakistan women have full rights with regards to work, education, inheritance and voting. That is why the Taliban is seen as a problem in Pakistan.
But sitting in India, you will not know any of this.