The first major change that was brought forward by Islam was to give equal rights to women to excel in life. Their rights as a daughter, wife, sister and mother are clearly mentioned in the Quran. Despite that we see as an every day news that women beaten up, tortured and denied basic rights by the men and women who are well educated and sensible. Where are we heading? We desperately seek women's help in re-making of Pakistan as after more than 50 years of Independence, we are still an under developed nation. The fact on the other hand is that we never focused women to be part of a struggle to develop Pakistan. The success stories of Pakistani women are very limited but very inspiring to read, its their struggle in the so called Men's world which always creates hurdles, troubles and frusteration for women.
We are a society with dual standards, we take pride in being Muslims but we cant fulfill our duties as a Muslim when it comes to giving women the rights our religion gave them. Its still the unfortunate like the dark days before Islam that still people repent having a baby girl which is regarded as "Blessing" by our Holy Prophet may peace be upon him. We distribute sweets at the arrival of a baby boy and on the other hand we try not to tell any body if its a baby girl. No every body does it but majority is doing it which is alarming and disappointing.
So the discrimination starts for a girl from the day she is born, then she would face dicrimination again when separate facilities of education are being provided to her brothers and to her. As of today it is considered as waste of investment to spend on girl's education as more return is expected from investing in a boys education. Girls are normally considered to get married after their bachelor's or even before that and even if they do Masters and further higher education, the general opinion is that they will not continue studies after marriage or if at job, she will be a house wife.
The government is coming with a right of education for every girl, their target is primary education only, what about higher education? The answer is as confusing as our policies. We had seen a fresh air of change with Ms. Benazir Bhutto emerging as the first female prime minister of Pakistan, she was a lady with broader vision and excellent plans for the females as well. We saw launching of first Women Bank, more jobs for women, more respect to them and above all their representation in the national and provincial assemblies, we had further hopes from her but the most powerful lady in the history of Pakistan was so in secure in the men's World that after few attempts, she finally gave her life for a right cause, I dont have any political affiliations but I still admire Ms. Bhuto for her struggle againts the tides of time and evetually emerging as a winner. But she was not liked by the selfish and mean men, its a loss and an evidence to prove my point that when the most poweful lady in Pakistan is killed by a planned assasination what could become of a common women who does not have the strong financial and family back ground.
I was lucky enough to born in a family where provision of education was considered even more important for females. I have seen my sisters, cousins, aunts studying hard and then coming in to practical life and equally competing with the men and at times performing far better than the men. But there are only hand ful of families who consider it a TABOO to not to give equal opportunities.
We have seen a wave of awareness in the lower to middle class of the society in which females are allowed to study up till graduation and these ladies, its a good things but again they cant go for higher education cause they cant afford it, for that higher education comission should be given more resources to give away a lot of scholar ships or even easy loans with out mark up. Majority of the jobs being offered to females are either as front office executives, receptions, call centre operators, teachers, customer care executives and in the electronic media productions at various positions.
The hour of the need is that we give women more representation in the business sector, she should come up as an enterpreneur of a small and medium enterprise and gradually develop business to become a major company. Women are doing fabulous stuff on the fashion designing and its encouraqging to see varios brands establishing their presence in all major cities, there a few multi-talented ladies who run their own export houses. majority of the parents whose daughters have secured excellent grades in the academics, wants them to join the job or business sector, but they have the fear of the un-known called" Society". Unfortunately the Society in Pakistan is heavily dominated by the men who find it difficult to accept the fact if women are performing much better than them, so they try negative tactics which can includes harrasment etc. So at times the dedicated women even decide to quit jobs or shut down business operations in mere fear and frusteration. We as men have to decide now to give respect and breathing space to women who by financial problems or out of great zeal come in practical life with hope and standards set very high, we have to help them rather than creating hurdles in their ways.
The most stupid arguement I have come across so far is who will manage the kids and the family if women continue to work after marriages. My question is where it is written that its only a woman's task to look after the house. General view of the women especially the mother in laws think that a newly wed has to come n join their family and start working as if she is a paid servant, which is totally wrong and most of the men do not allow their wives to do a handsome job due to immense family pressure mainly mother and sisters. She has to be given a fair chance to pursue her dreams to work using the education they got. Some men's false ego will not allow her more talented and hard working wife cause they feel she will get freedom and limited reliability on him and might overshadow his presence. The success story of women often us that they were succesful cause they had a wonderfully understanding husband. I was seeing the other day Interview of a famous educationist, drama Artist and an equally good mother of his son. In the interview she said my husband was very supportive to such an extent that she does not have to worry about the cooking.
We have millions of talented ladies out there in Pakistan just waiting to get a helping hand to start their practical life through jobs or through businesses and play their much awaited role of contributing to the growth of Pakistan. They need assurances and real time support from us first and then the government. All they need is equal opprtunity to study, she is flying fighter jets now what to talk of any minor achievement. She has a world of opportunities befor her but she is afraid to enter it and even when she makes an entry of so called our world, she is pushed back by our biased approach towards woman to the world wheet where she has to look after her husband and kids and her husbands family as well and even if she is not married, she sits at home after completion of higher studies looking after parents and brothers and waiting for her turn to get married and suffer even a worst fate, which is to get used to expectations and demands of a totally strange family (if she gets married out side the family) and adjust her life style according to the her in laws (I call them out laws on the loose) requirements.
I know a lot of men would not take this article seriously, but there would be a lot more articles, news head lines, tv programs on Women rights, there would be a change for sure no matter slow but I will always be there to support them through my writings and discussion forums. I have two daughters and a son and I will go all ends out to provide them equally good opportunities for education and to join the practical fiedls they wish to. This is my toast and salute to all those daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers out there and the message to them is very clear, we would come forward to help them and not try to discourage them. Our changed resolution should be "Equal rights for women" for a change. Todays succesful women are equally good in managing home and office at the same time, its all about setting your priorities and managing these in the given time. All we need is a good healthy and care free working environment which only we can ensure but we always wait for our government to do it and our government remains too busy in other important matters like how to earn trillions in a day in the form of kick backs and comissions.
TRUE STORY
ReplyDeleteAn canadian woman who was working in bank, was christian catholic and had 9 years old daughter was living happily with her spanish husband.By chance after 911 catastrophe she devoloped interst in Islam and eventually went to the muslim student's HALQA (circle) in the university and embraced Islam, told her husband about change of her faith, he said," he doesnt mind what ever faith she holds she is his beloved wife" she replied that her new faith didnt allow her to marry christian partner so their marraige no more exists ...thus her husband had to leave house as in that country child goes to mother, Later she left her girl with a muslim baby sitter who forwarded her story to muslim community's director, she did get some financial help, a little sympathy thats all.Then she told she was impressed by the Prophet of muslims who married socially deprived women and treated them with love and care but she never found any muslim man following him.She told one of her muslim friend introduced her to match making marraige bureau of muslims ,she went there and came back shocked. None of the muslim guys was ready to accept her nine years old daughter.Those who showed little interst were the muslim students who wanted to get citezenship after marrying her.Her disappointment kept on increasing as once she consulted a muslim scholar who forbade her to go outside the home, he told," muslim women cannot do job outside home etc and few more MISINTERPRETERS of Islam misguided her."
No one gave example of Hazrat Khadija.A point of termoil came when one day she told "I REGRET WHY DID I LEFT MY HUSBAND AND CHANGED MY FAITH BECOZ I DIDNOT FIND THAT ISLAM IN CHARACTER OF MUSLIM MEN THAT I READ IN BOOKS".
Allah saved her from loosing faith as one day she told, she is going to marry a canadian guy who too embraced Islam and he is far more better,polite and caring than those muslim men who were muslims by birth.So, this example must alarm muslim men who call themselves muslims but Islam is missing from their character.