Being a 'woman', and being a 'woman in Pakistan' are two different things having completely different meanings!
There are many shortcomings of our society that we do not even realize easily. There have been many questions to which I fail to get a sufficient answer, initially I used to think that Islam suppresses women, but later on came to know it is Islam which empowers us. It is our society which does not give women a healthy atmosphere. These are not minor factors as these factors limit the horizon for women, its like women getting a quarter of the canvas! How can we expect women to be having healthy minds and thoughts unless they're given a healthy environment to live. Here go my questions (these are not with reference to the few selected elite living in main cities of Pakistan or those living in gated communities)
1. Why can't a girl travel by her own bicycle to her institute? I always wanted to do so whenever i used to miss my bus, and i used to dream if only I could clamp my books to the carrier of a bicycle and paddle all the way! and we would often scoff about this situation, but we can't change anything!
2. Why can't women girls/women go to a nearby park to play? why can't I play badminton in the open? or any other game? are women lesser humans?
3. Why can't women/girls walk or exercise on their own at a public place? I have always been dreaming of plugging in my headphones and going on a steady walk! but of course I can't! but why?
I so want to go out someday, sit on some bench under shady trees and read a book for as long as i may like but that seems a distant dream!
There are the, like many others, opportunities which we don't even think that we could have had, Me being active supporter of rights of women would like to see some positive change in our society so that women should be treated something more that just 'objects'!
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Change your "Why?" into "How?", change your own state...it'll change the world around you :)
ReplyDelete"She changed her can'ts into cans and her dreams into plans."
in fact it's not "changed" it's "turned", looks more feasible this way...;)
ReplyDeleteeven if i change the "Why?" into "How?" it would still remain a question that i seek the answers of!!
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeleteI suggested to change the perspective, I didn't say that there will be no more questions...Your "How" will help you find a way out...and remember everyone has a different way out...Only you know the best answers to your questions, the one which will satisfy you...No one else can do the justice...you'll have uncountable discussions in that case.
ReplyDeleteAs far as, our society is concerned even men are mentally suppressed here like:
1. Why they can't leave their jobs just like you and me, just for the reason that they don't like to work in certain conditions anymore?
2. Why they have to financially support their families till their retirement while in case of women as daughters grow up they start sharing their mother's household responsibilities, providing them some relaxation?
3. Why always if a man is at home, he always has to go and check whose at the door, no matter how many times a bell rings?
4. Why most of them are stuck between two dearest relations in their lives, wife and mother?
and so on.....
thanku loads for your input =)
ReplyDeleteand yeah ure right "Only you know the best answers to your questions"
coz the questions you have written are only adding to my list :P
for example.. why can't we check whose at the door :P
but u sure have got a point!!
and also have to make a note here... i have no objections on how responsibilities are divided between man and woman (like earning vs domestic responsibilities ) its just about a little freedom, freedom to move about :)
:)
I told you, you can have uncountable discussions on it :)...check my today's nic and be happy :)
ReplyDeleteIm so bad at writing so i would like to apologise first for by text lingo but I love reading and i throughly enjoyed reading that post.. i totally agree with giving women in pakistan some more freedom.. they deserve it.. but we also need a revolution to begin this process.. theres a massive gap in the society, culture and class of pakistan. when i come to pakistan i see all of dat within the first month, from the women of our village to the young girls of lahore in limousines acting crazy.. is a massive loop that can only be filled be radacalization of the education system. Only education can bring such revolutions, that applies to everything.. i noticed it at home.. it took me agez to get my sister to read namaz, but last ramadan i just gave her a book.. very simple and easy to read and while reading that she made her own informed decisions and started reading namaaz herself.. shows how important education is to make informed decisions. Unfortunately in pakistan eductaion is either accessed through word of mouth or "ratta" on a night before the exam. Ofcourse there is a minority who is working hard to breakaway from the chain but we need the majority to understand this logic.
ReplyDeleteI can go around alone here with the headphones in my ear (though my mom doesnt approve of it very much and onli rarely lets me do that), ive even sat under the trees reading a book at my uni and in my local park (2 mins walk- so not so much of an adventure =)) but i would love to go for morning walks.. i use to and I loved it .. I cant tell you how much i lovd it.. but then mom told me not to as apparently it wasn't safe .. i tried that for a month but stopped cos theres no comparison of walking outside and walking in the garden. Even now its snowing and the white guys and girls will be jogging outside with a water bottle in one hand, and headphones in their ears .. while we sit in our cars or at home, i get so jealous cos i want that aswell.. they dont care if its sonwing or raining they will go out for their jogg, which is why when they reach the age of 90 .. theyl still be living alone and doing their chores and carrying their heavy shopping back to their retirement apartments whereas all indo pak asians will be on bed permanentally by the age of 50 or in hospitals recieving free treatments on the cost of tax payers.
But yea cant imagine that in pak unfortunately =( i think women are to blame as well for this.. but thats a topic on its own and require extensive discussion on that too... lol
Well yours is such an extensive and complete comment that you've actually tempted me to write another post :)
ReplyDeleteyou're so right that there is a lot of divide and discrimination here in our country and the worst form of divide is that in education..., plus we just don't need degree holders but our institutions should focus on dispatching healthy "thinking minds" from their institute but unfortunately education is a business here and no body including the govt cares about the nation :) but that's for those who 'have' education within their financial reach not to speak of those who're illiterate.
thank you again for your valuable feedback! :)
Plus there is another gap that you for got to mention
ReplyDeletei.e. the gap between "Change we need" and "Change we can believe in" :D
We as a nation need decades or even much more to bring about such a change :)
"This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."
ReplyDeleteWe need a different approach to education too , perhaps initiating discussion forums open to everyone about self realisation, or liberation from the self which is ever so important. The sad reality is that even the most important education about: religion is obtained from word of mouth, ofcourse it is the fastest method to gain knowledge but not the most effective. I really want to stay away from religion but its so sad to see people believing in customs and rituals that are far from Islamic teachings. People believe the words of anyone and everyone and don’t question it, it’s a matter of who got there first to pass the right or wrong knowledge. We wouldn’t dream of crossing the boundaries of our muhalla or circle of friends to seek knowledge when everyone knows the saying seek knwoledhe even if you have to go as far as China, for seeking knowledge is a duty of every Muslim. Allah saw proves this by uttering the first word to its beloved Messenger (p.b.u.h) “Read”.
Ok lets forget about seeking knowledge: might seem daunting to some what about mere pondering over our existence and the reason and rationale behind it. Hazrat Ali (ra) once said He knows Himself knows God.
very true...
ReplyDelete