The Common Thread
Mukhtar Mai has guts. Now a higher religious court in Pakistan hassuspended the decision of the High Court to free her rapists withoutpunishment!yes, its heartening, though I am distrustful of religious courts.
Its saddening to see religion that should have been the liberator of people's spirits to be fashioned into an oppressor by the so-called religious leaders. Its also sad that religion should bear the brunt of misinterpretation and selfish aims of those who think of themselves as 'keepers of religion'.
Mukhtar Mai is like a burning candle, the hope that all is not lost. She reminds us that there are people who will not give up in the face of gross social injustice. If you look deeper, she is not just a feminist icon, she is an icon of freedom, of social justice -- she stands for equity, and human rights: be they with respect to gender equality, women's rights, LGB rights, Transgender rights, racial non-discrimination, or religious tolerance.
Her motives and struggle might be different in detail, but in the end its all about saying that I will not let society trample on my life, and my rights as an individual.
And yet, some corner of my heart asks, does she understand that?. Will she who was thus oppressed understand the struggle of a transgendered person if she meets one, or will she support a muslim who was in love with a hindu, will she be fine if her brother was gay? will she understand that these are all people oppressed by society in different ways, at different times but all linked by that same thread: their uphill journey to breaking the single color view of society so that they can paint their life the way they want ...
I do not intend her to fight these other battles, I understand that everyone has a focus group. But what I sometimes find ironic is how the oppressed in one situation assume the role of the oppressor in some cases. How a person fighting for his/her human rights, at times might refuse to acknoledge the merit of someone else's struggle.
If I were to cite an example, I would talk about some civil rights leaders in this country who want to distance themselves as much as possible from the gay rights movement, who are outraged that someone might even suggest that there is a parallel. Those who preach from their pulpits that religion does not discriminate on the basis of skin color, and try to uphold racial non-discrimination, often in the same breath would also condemn homosexuals to hell (and maybe to prison).
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on Friday, March 11th, 2005 at 11:16 am and is filed under Current Affairs.
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