March 08 Post by Beena Sarwal, Karachi :" South Asians, Arabs and their Diasporic Peoples are Elizabethans Still."

Posted by
Venu K.M

"South Asians and Arabs and their diasporic peoples are Elizabethan still. In their world, children are parental possessions, marriages arranged, personal autonomy frowned upon. Strong women like Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing or Katherine the shrew must be tamed. Countless Juliets are bullied, beaten, even killed if they refuse to be despatched to a chosen bridegroom."



A NEW POLITICAL CONTEXT FOR JULIET

Women are speaking out all over the country, attempting to exercise their rights to personal autonomy

by Beena Sarwar

Another March 8, another 'women’s day'. Time to focus again on the injustices that half the world's population faces because of being born female. This day also provides a benchmark to look back and celebrate how far women have come. But all this is not just about women. What women suffer, and what women achieve, has to be looked at in the socio-political context in which they -- we -- live.

Gender injustices are as much about class and power struggles, about economic policies that continue to increase the gap between rich and poor, about inherent racism and prejudices. Among the marginalised sections of society, women are further marginalised. Where there are class and economic inequities, it is women who suffer the most. And when there are wars and violent conflicts -- initiated, it must be said, almost exclusively by men -- it is women who bear the brunt. Of the over 31 million people displaced by violent conflicts around the world, most are women and children.

Often, women's bodies are the battleground over which men satisfy their lust for revenge and to bring 'the enemy' down. This is not just the case during full-scale wars and violent conflicts. It is also the norm in patriarchal societies where rape for revenge is common, when a woman is targeted in order to teach the men of her family a lesson. Mukhtiar Mai in Meerwala village near Multan is only one example of paying the price for a supposed transgression by her brother.

In actual fact, the men who assaulted her had first sexually assaulted her younger brother Shakoor, about 14 years old in 2002 when the incident took place. When it appeared that he would not remain quiet about the assault, his assailants sought to protect themselves by accusing him of having an affair with their sister.

The politics of caste and class figure prominently in this saga as they tend to do in other such cases. Mukhtiar Mai's family belongs to the lowest social rungs in the village. Their opponents, who belong to a 'higher' social class, convened a village council to settle the matter and said that they would 'do to Shakoor's sister' what he had allegedly done to their's. Those present tried to convince them otherwise. According to Abdur Razzaq, the village maulvi, whom I talked to in 2006 while making a documentary on the issue, "We said that would be wrong. Instead, one of them should marry Mukhtiar (a divorcee) and Shakoor should marry their sister". This kind of watta-satta arrangement is common in the area.

When they insisted they would dishonour Mukhtiar, he says, he left along with other villagers. Some stayed back at the site of the meeting, across the field from Mukhtiar's house. The men appeared to agree that Mukhtiar should come to them and ask pardon for this 'crime'. When her uncle escorted her out of her parents' home for this purpose, the young men, who were armed, seized her and dragged her into a room in front of all those present. No one dared step in.

Rape itself was and remains common. As Maulvi Razzak said, "It happens. Two or three bad boys will sneak into someone's house and commit an excess ('ziadati', as most people commonly refer to rape). But this was really bad."

What he meant was that while rape was commonplace, the way that it happened with Mukhtiar could not be countenanced. He said that he heard about the incident a few days later. That Friday, he spoke against it in his sermon. A local journalist who was present took up the matter. Their intervention kept Mukhtiar from committing suicide as she says she felt driven to do. Instead, she registered a report with the nearest police station, at the next village. It is also a sign of the changing times that other villagers supported Mukhtiar, enabling her to remain in the village, which doesn't happen usually after such a public disgrace.

Remember Nawabpur in the early 1980s, the first such case to come to media attention, where a carpenter was accused (like Mukhtiar's brother) of dallying with a woman from a higher-caste family. The men of that family beat him so severely that he died. They stripped the women and paraded them in the streets -- made them 'dance naked' as news reports put it. The family subsequently left the village, unable to bear the shame. Many similar cases have taken place.

A major difference in Mukhtiar's case is that the opposing family did not kill her brother when they accused him. Secondly, she received enough local support to be able to survive in her own home (the government also provided her with 24-hour protection, even building a police station across the street from her house). Thirdly, she had the innate courage and wisdom to focus not on herself, but on others. In the process, she has polished herself, gained self-confidence, learnt to read and write (at her own school), and gained an international profile.

It began when she used the 'compensation' cheque provided by the government to buy land on which to build a school -- the first in the village. Inspired by her courage and also driven by their own need to earn income, young women from nearby villages come and teach there. One teacher, Parveen, told me that she used to walk an hour from Waduwalla village where she lives to Meerwala and back, until Mukhtiar Mai bought an ambulance van that that doubles as a school bus, picking up and dropping students and teachers.

"I realised that those who supported me were the educated people," said Mukhtiar, explaining why she felt education was so important. "Before this, women had no other options but to work in the fields."

Yet, despite all the international and national support and sympathy Mukhtiar has generated, her rapists have still not been punished, nearly seven years later.

Her story reflects the changes taking place in our society as well as all that remains stagnant within it. On the one hand, there is an increasing refusal to accept injustice. Unable to countenance this defiance, those perpetuating the injustice respond with greater brutality – for which they are now well armed, thanks to the great Afghan 'jehad' of the 1980s that introduced an influx of arms and ammunition into Pakistani society.

Women are speaking out all over the country, attempting to exercise their rights to personal autonomy -- education, choice of life partner, employment. Those who acquiesce to their family's wishes at the expense of their own aspirations fade quietly into the sunset. Those who refuse now make media headlines not for their acts of defiance, but when their families respond with violence. For all those embroiled in such high-profile dramas, many others get away with it -- their families reluctantly accept their choices or 'merely' ostracise them. This does not make the news.

In most cases, the more civilised responses either come from those too poor to have an 'honour' front to keep up or the better educated. The British columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, whose family migrated from India to Uganda where she was born, relates how her father never spoke to her again because she defied his wishes to act (Juliet) in an English play while in school, back in 1965.

Writing about the relevance of Shakespeare to people of various backgrounds around the world she comments, "South Asians and Arabs and their diasporic peoples are Elizabethan still. In their world, children are parental possessions, marriages arranged, personal autonomy frowned upon. Strong women like Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing or Katherine the shrew must be tamed. Countless Juliets are bullied, beaten, even killed if they refuse to be despatched to a chosen bridegroom."

Today, more and more Juliets are speaking up, not only in Pakistan but around the world. Somehow, somewhere, this will make a difference. It gives cause for hope even as we despair about those who continue to insist on dragging us back into the Middle Ages.

The writer is a freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Karachi beena.sarwar@gmail.com

SNOW : DILEMMA OF MODERNITY AS ENCOUNTERED BY ORHAN PAMUK

{Part of Discussion on an original Post on March 08 ,2009 by me in a web discussion forum }
Contemporary dilemma of modernity/westernization/universalization
vis a vis third worldly crisis of identity is so beautifully
illustrated in Orhan Pamuk's Snow. How the modernist ambitions of
the sixties in Turkey under Kemal Pasha ended up in grave political
and social crises after two generations of ruthless secularizing
project is the theme of the novel. Snow appears as a motif everywhere
in this wonderful novel, symbolizing suspicion,terror, insecurity,
instability in the minds of people. New generation of Radical
Islamists pledge to end old secularists' slavish adherence to western
norms on the one side, and contemporary ways of the state machinery
in suppressing faith by employing the crudest and treacherous methods
of army, intelligence and and police, on the other. Anything
associated with the West is asked to be seen as malice and ruthlessly
revolted upon. In the novel, Contemporary Turkey is represented not
only as the geographical fault line in this Euro- Asian conflict,
but also is chronologically mapped as the site of disillusionment of a
whole new generation with the pursuit of modernity. Pamuk rather than
being able to take sides, speaks out his dilemma through the
protagonist Ka, a Western educated young poet and journalist who
revisits Istambul in late 90s after years of stay in a European city.
My point here in the discussion, is just making a reference to
Pamuk's experience of engaging with this dichotomy as a creative
writer and particularly point to his implicit suggestion that he is
at a time, both an insider and outsider of both these worlds.This is
also suggestive of how genuinely creative people like to encounter
these dilemmas just as they are existing and without being prejudiced
by the ways people perceive the reality of their existence the
contemporary world everywhere. Posted by
Venu K.M

A Few Questions to Women's Rights Defenders of Kerala On March 08,2009

Well, we may do well to ask the organizations, or the personalities
presiding the pennkodathi these questions:
Do they really like to see women of Kerala ever having autonomy over
their bodies ?
Even while we find chapters of peedanam unending here in Kerala, are
we confident enough to be able in any near future, to stop seeing
women of Kerala just as victims of 'peedanam'?
When will we able to find them as active individuals/ collectivities
fighting , challenging the male regime of gender and sexuality on the
one hand, and demanding progressive reforms in education about sex and
reproduction on the other?
When will we/ they be able to take on this essentially anti-woman,
protectionist attitude that promotes kind of
single handed discourse on peedanam, wherein, active agency is denied
to women on every count?
When will be able to dispense with the need of outfits like "Stree
Suraksha Samithis" ,which virtually edifies the dictum of Manu (Women
should always be protected, and they never deserve to be free)
Flip side of the institution of peedanam is family, the burial ground
of every right of women to full citizenship.
These die hard defenders of culture seem to suggest that culture is something that should essentially,unilaterally and permanently control women through imposed dress codes,prescribed body languages and demarcated boundaries of space and time crossing which, they might spoil everything.How the Lakhshmanarekha in the Hindu epic symbolizes this equation of
restriction =protection is too well known to be elaborated here.

Why blame SriRam Senes for acts (albeit a little outrageous and violent) in teaching women of their status, if one is going to argue that protection is so conditional and dependent on curtailing the civic freedoms of women ?

It is high time that we openly defied Culture, Morals and Traditions
at least to the extent that they openly take sides with an agenda of
perpetuating patriarchy in all walks of life, be it physical labour,
reproduction, sexuality or the organization of family.

"THEY LOOK LESS COMIC"

What is the connection between March 08 and Sartre?
I don't know and perhaps anybody else knows either.
Nevertheless, each March 08 reminds me of Sartre.
My memories from having read very few texts by him/about him
suddenly bring forth this statement made by him to an interviewer
asking
why he was often seen more attracted to women, rather than men:
Just because they look less comic than most of the men I meet!

Greetings of the day,
Venu.

March 08 and Kerala Concerns of Sthreepeedanam

At least to a section of opinion makers here in Kerala,
Agolavalkaranam (Globalization) in the context of women's rights, just means massive onslaught

on this beloved country's great Culture!
Like women daring to visit pubs, daring to defy the dress codes,
daring to shatter the values of family and bringing shame to the
country and the countryMen, so on and so forth.
While Muthaliks and Modys are there in Karnataka and Gujrat at large
to fight these evils, who will fight here?
Going by the press reports, we find the local police to the leftist-
rightist women/youth/students organizations to the neighborhood
fraternity vigilance volunteers arrayed in the great task of defending
culture. Part of the task of (people) getting opinionated against w
omen's assertions, is of course left to the Fourth Estate together
with the Samskarika Nayakans and Nayikas of Kerala through rhetoric s
and imagery of globalization destroying Culture.... especially by
w omen shedding their sense of guilt and shame, daring to express
their sexuality in first person, unmindful of the Culture and
Tradition!
We find in one report after other ,youths being rounded up by the
police for no cognizable crime.
An item appeared in Malayala Manorama daily on the other day. It was a
report under a sensational caption, about an incident at Kollam
railway station. Lacking in many details,esp of the legality of the
police/railway court's action, the report would mean that two people
of different sex, unconnected either through marriage or through
blood relation, sitting together and talking is an act punishable with
instant arrest and fine!

Well, one is tempted to ask a few questions to these self-styled defenders of culture:
Do they really like to see women of Kerala ever having autonomy over
their bodies ?
Even while we find chapters of peedanam (atrocities) unending here in Kerala, are
we confident enough to be able in any near future, to stop seeing
women of Kerala just as victims of 'peedanam' (perpetration of atrocities)?
When will we able to find them as active individuals/ collectivity
fighting , challenging the male regime of gender and sexuality on the
one hand, and demanding progressive reforms in education about sex and
reproduction on the other?
When will we/ they be able to take on this essentially anti-woman,
protectionist attitude that promotes kind of
single handed discourse on peedanam, wherein, active agency is denied
to women on every count?
When will be able to dispense with the need of outfits like "Stree
Suraksha Samithis" ,which virtually edifies the dictum of Manu (Women
should always be protected, and they never deserve to be free)
Flip side of the institution of peedanam is family, the burial ground
of every right of women to full citizenship.
It is high time that we openly defied Culture, Morals and Traditions
at least to the extent they openly take sides with an agenda of
perpetuating patriarchy in all walks of life, be it physical labour,
reproduction, sexuality or the organization of family.

An Encounter with Four Secular,Athiest Friends

I Couldn't Say God Save the Athiests Because I Happen To Be One!
I think it appropriate to refer to a hot debate that took place just yesterday, in the course of my travel by train. I must say that I just ran into that. I met there four athiests; middle aged men,who were all Muslims by birth and educated people possibly with access to the knowledge systems up to date and with own views in favour of what they believe as true secularism. They are members of a prominent athiest organization of Kerala and were bound for Ernakulam in connection with some meeting of their Organization. They were discussing Prof.Hameed Chennamangalur's article on the present ills of Islam as practiced ,which was published in the latest issue of Malayalam weekly. I was truly astonished to hear from these friends that the Malabar(Mappila) uprising of 1920s was wrongly depicted as peasants' struggle and infact,the trouble was started by the muslim communalists who were supporters of Khilafat and forcible mass conversions (of Hindus to Islam, in the Eranadu taluk). One of them even maintained that there was nothing acceptable as truth and dependable in terms of consensus in historical opinion. Further, I heard from them that as many as forty percent of the people killed in the post-Godhra violence were Hindus!.. Again, I heard that there was no necessity of any constitutional provision or law to defend the rights of religious minorities as such. All these learned middle class men (who were committed to atheism and secularism) maintained that the muslims are asking for too much and that was the cause of all problems.
Coming back to the State-sponsored violence in post-Godhra violence, they wanted me to answer their question 'who started it, any way?'. As they argued that advaita was the best philosophy that could ever help the mankind, and Arthasasthra of Kautilya was the best and the oldest treatise on statecraft, the train pulled up at Thrissur, and I said bye to them shaking hands with each of the four.... Neither was I left with the time to clarify my points, nor was in a mood to continue the debate.
Besides, I was terribly upset by the thought that I may not be as secular as those friends, though I am an atheist too!

7th Std Text Book : Controversy Over Secularism

There's a controversy going on in Kerala in relation to a text book
lesson in Malayalam for 7th std ,State syllabus:-
Let me narrate the content here:
Jeevan is taken to school for enroling in the 1st std by his parents
- Hide quoted text -of two different religions.The Head Master asks Jeevan's parents whichreligion is to be entered for the boy. Jeevan's parents request forleaving the column (related to religion and caste ) blank, whichprompts the HM to ask what would happen to the child as he grows upwithout religion/caste appended to his identity. The parents coollyreply that as he grows up he could chose any of the faiths or nofaith!This has become a cause for much ire being vent by the parties andstudents' unions in the rival camp ,on the Left Democratic Frontgovt.in Kerala. The opponents demand withdrawal of the lessonpromoting atheism and anti-religious mentality and even communism!!??Though the above text (lesson )appears to be the main focus in thecontroversy,much more text portions elsewhere from the current schooltexts are being brought under fire by the opposition parties andstudent unions. One thing that significantly eludes focus in the current politicalwarfare between the two fronts, ie; the LDF, led by the CPI(M) and theUDF( comprising Congress, Muslim League, Kerala Congress,etc )is thatCaste plus Religion plus most of the Superstitions like jaatakams,pujas and rituals are seen publicly glorified and practiced everywherein Kerala by leaders as well as cadres on both sides of the divide.Hence,the ideals of secularism that are sought to be promoted in youngminds, unfortunately , do not really match the realms of both thepublic and private spheres largely influenced by the left partieshere.At least as seen contradicted from the point of view of the dismaltrack record of many a left politician in promoting real secularism inprivate and public life, the present controversy on the text bookportions will not take us the society too far.
The contradictions resulting from promotion of unilateral learning ofideals by rote without a thought of accentuating them in real lives onthe one hand, and resisting even marginal struggles for social reform( the negative attitudes by and large displayed against intercastemarriages, struggles against casteism etc, for example) on the other,has come to the fore ,with the present controversy over the abovetext. In this aspect, perhaps this can signify a fair deal of selfreflectivity on the part of the 'big' people in the Left.