Article in the Daily Times on October 15, 2013:
VIEW: To be a woman in Pakistan —Haroon Mustafa Janjua
Each year more than 10 million girls are forced to marry as a child, which usually means an end to their education, and a life of ill-health and poverty
In a state where the feminine gender continues to remain in lower echelons of society, the incidents of sexual violence, rape, physical torture, maim and gang rape will only soar. Molestation of minors especially the girl child has become common in Pakistan as is evidenced by recent events in Lahore and Faisalabad. Caught up as we are in a plethora of other social issues, the gender issue remains, despite many interventions by development organisations, on the backburner as far as the list of priorities for policy makers goes.
Many instances of gender-based violence go unreported. Victims of sexual violence perpetrated within family seldom have the courage to report the matter to the proper authorities. Even when they do bring their perpetrators to the courts, both the victim and the perpetrators enter into an out of court agreement since the court proceedings are prolonged and time consuming and the results are unpredictable.
The traditional social structures and the rural-urban divide are the major obstacles that stand in the way of justice. Given the emphasis placed on eyewitness testimony in Islamic law, the utilisation of this law is negligible. The burden of proof is laid upon the innocent victim. Four virtuous individuals are required to be witness to the incident. Yet there is no foolproof mechanism to determine if the witnesses were actually pious.
The heinous crime of rape shall continue so long as the male chauvinist ethos remains unchanged in this modern era of technology. Rigid religious ideas in addition to dogmatic and opportunistic interpretations of the faith persist in the minds of children in various ways. Despite the improved political culture in the country, gender crimes are still not widely condemned by politicians and religious leaders. Several orthodox Muslim clerics do not approve of a girl’s education. In remote areas of Pakistan, particularly in the northwestern parts tribal belt, the predicament of the young girls is even bleaker. They are forbidden from going to schools by tribal norms and culture.
Death by stoning a customary practice and a barbaric form of execution is reportedly on the rise in areas that escape the writ of the state. It is the most barbarous form of violence perpetuated against women in order to control and punish their sexuality and basic freedom. Two months ago, Arifa Bibi a young mother of two was stoned to death by her relatives for possessing a cell phone. On the decision of a tribal jirga, she was executed. International media raised the issue; she was buried in a desert far from her village.
Early marriage is another scourge. Each year more than 10 million girls are forced to marry as a child, which usually means an end to their education, and a life of ill-health and poverty. This is despite the fact that there is a law that prohibits child marriages in Pakistan. The evil practice continues through custom or in the guise of religious interpretation.
Society being traditionally gender-biased has always sought to instruct women to dress modestly and thus protect themselves from the lusting male. They neglect to teach the male members about this crucial issue. This ideology does not provide a concrete solution to rid society of this social menace of immense objectification of women, which is then said to be divinely ordained.
Gender inequality is rampant and commences even prior to the birth of a child. A girl child faces discrimination all through her life right from the time she is in her mother’s womb to childhood and then adolescence, and her life is marred with neglect, disadvantage and exploitation. The desire for a male child is so strong that it leads to infanticide of female babies and abortions of female fetuses after an ultrasound reveals their sex. Estimates of the number of ‘missing’ girls due to such practices vary, but are as high as 100 million. Girls are looked upon as a liability and they have to confront blatant discrimination and have access to fewer opportunities, and even their education is restricted and curtailed. Their healthcare and nutrition is undermined.
Most importantly a girl child in Pakistan should no longer be ignored, neglected and marginalized. The United Nations decision to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child has particular resonance in Pakistan. According to UNICEF’s “A Report Card on Gender Parity and Primary Education”, “Investing in girls’ education is a strategy that protects the rights of all children to quality education, and is the key to all other development goals, beginning with gender equality and the empowerment of women.” In some rural areas of the country such as Kalat in the western province of Baluchistan, only nine percent of women are literate. There are also relatively fewer women with decision-making positions in government or elsewhere to bring forth an alternative view.
There is a dire need to set a social structure in molded, neutralised and changed form. Every day we talk about women empowerment, we approve various bills and petitions within the legal framework for granting justice to vulnerable sections of society. All this would be in vain until we truly rethink the issue. Awareness needs to increase at all levels to consider women as an equal citizen of the state, within culturally acceptable framework penury to be formally addressed in public dealing institutions mainly police.
It is all about overcoming attitudes more than anything else. A woman’s place is still perceived to be the home, and therefore, a girl’s education is seen as less important than her brother’s.
Their voice needs to be heard and amplified. The current outrage in Pakistan needs to be translated into new girl-focused policies and action. It is not enough to weep. It is the time to act.
VIEW: To be a woman in Pakistan —Haroon Mustafa Janjua
Each year more than 10 million girls are forced to marry as a child, which usually means an end to their education, and a life of ill-health and poverty
In a state where the feminine gender continues to remain in lower echelons of society, the incidents of sexual violence, rape, physical torture, maim and gang rape will only soar. Molestation of minors especially the girl child has become common in Pakistan as is evidenced by recent events in Lahore and Faisalabad. Caught up as we are in a plethora of other social issues, the gender issue remains, despite many interventions by development organisations, on the backburner as far as the list of priorities for policy makers goes.
Many instances of gender-based violence go unreported. Victims of sexual violence perpetrated within family seldom have the courage to report the matter to the proper authorities. Even when they do bring their perpetrators to the courts, both the victim and the perpetrators enter into an out of court agreement since the court proceedings are prolonged and time consuming and the results are unpredictable.
The traditional social structures and the rural-urban divide are the major obstacles that stand in the way of justice. Given the emphasis placed on eyewitness testimony in Islamic law, the utilisation of this law is negligible. The burden of proof is laid upon the innocent victim. Four virtuous individuals are required to be witness to the incident. Yet there is no foolproof mechanism to determine if the witnesses were actually pious.
The heinous crime of rape shall continue so long as the male chauvinist ethos remains unchanged in this modern era of technology. Rigid religious ideas in addition to dogmatic and opportunistic interpretations of the faith persist in the minds of children in various ways. Despite the improved political culture in the country, gender crimes are still not widely condemned by politicians and religious leaders. Several orthodox Muslim clerics do not approve of a girl’s education. In remote areas of Pakistan, particularly in the northwestern parts tribal belt, the predicament of the young girls is even bleaker. They are forbidden from going to schools by tribal norms and culture.
Death by stoning a customary practice and a barbaric form of execution is reportedly on the rise in areas that escape the writ of the state. It is the most barbarous form of violence perpetuated against women in order to control and punish their sexuality and basic freedom. Two months ago, Arifa Bibi a young mother of two was stoned to death by her relatives for possessing a cell phone. On the decision of a tribal jirga, she was executed. International media raised the issue; she was buried in a desert far from her village.
Early marriage is another scourge. Each year more than 10 million girls are forced to marry as a child, which usually means an end to their education, and a life of ill-health and poverty. This is despite the fact that there is a law that prohibits child marriages in Pakistan. The evil practice continues through custom or in the guise of religious interpretation.
Society being traditionally gender-biased has always sought to instruct women to dress modestly and thus protect themselves from the lusting male. They neglect to teach the male members about this crucial issue. This ideology does not provide a concrete solution to rid society of this social menace of immense objectification of women, which is then said to be divinely ordained.
Gender inequality is rampant and commences even prior to the birth of a child. A girl child faces discrimination all through her life right from the time she is in her mother’s womb to childhood and then adolescence, and her life is marred with neglect, disadvantage and exploitation. The desire for a male child is so strong that it leads to infanticide of female babies and abortions of female fetuses after an ultrasound reveals their sex. Estimates of the number of ‘missing’ girls due to such practices vary, but are as high as 100 million. Girls are looked upon as a liability and they have to confront blatant discrimination and have access to fewer opportunities, and even their education is restricted and curtailed. Their healthcare and nutrition is undermined.
Most importantly a girl child in Pakistan should no longer be ignored, neglected and marginalized. The United Nations decision to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child has particular resonance in Pakistan. According to UNICEF’s “A Report Card on Gender Parity and Primary Education”, “Investing in girls’ education is a strategy that protects the rights of all children to quality education, and is the key to all other development goals, beginning with gender equality and the empowerment of women.” In some rural areas of the country such as Kalat in the western province of Baluchistan, only nine percent of women are literate. There are also relatively fewer women with decision-making positions in government or elsewhere to bring forth an alternative view.
There is a dire need to set a social structure in molded, neutralised and changed form. Every day we talk about women empowerment, we approve various bills and petitions within the legal framework for granting justice to vulnerable sections of society. All this would be in vain until we truly rethink the issue. Awareness needs to increase at all levels to consider women as an equal citizen of the state, within culturally acceptable framework penury to be formally addressed in public dealing institutions mainly police.
It is all about overcoming attitudes more than anything else. A woman’s place is still perceived to be the home, and therefore, a girl’s education is seen as less important than her brother’s.
Their voice needs to be heard and amplified. The current outrage in Pakistan needs to be translated into new girl-focused policies and action. It is not enough to weep. It is the time to act.
Article in the Daily Times on November 25, 2013:
VIEW : Reassigning our gender role — Hilde Jacobs
As soon as women come out of their dependence on men, the problem of gender inequality and discrimination against girls will disappear
The article by Haroon Mustafa Janjua, ‘To be a woman in Pakistan’ (Daily Times, October 15, 2013) is a very well written contribution to the general description of women living in Pakistan. Although being a German citizen I experienced an almost-rape in Karachi where I was married to a very kind and loving Muslim diplomat many years ago, I was only saved due to my strong will to teach the rapist a lesson by biting his hand severely the moment he tried to keep me from shouting for help. Allah was with me of course when this rascal took his hands off me because he was distorted with pain. Therefore, I could flee without being raped.
But then, I asked myself what would have happened in case of a real rape? Would I have been stoned or condemned and told to bring four male witnesses to court? I cannot find a satisfactory reply.
Coming to know an intellectual couple in an urban area of Pakistan, he being a teacher/sociologist and she a teacher, I was shocked to learn that both are living, closely connected, in a sort of ‘fool’s paradise’, firmly believing they are a happy, loving couple.
This couple only separates when going to work and in the evening when the husband goes off to meet male friends with the intention of having a chat, a smoke and a cup of whatever, keeping all this secret from his wife. The wife stays at home. When I pointed out to the husband that probably he would not like his wife behaving as he does, he lamented, “But what am I to do? My wife does not like me to smoke and drink inside our house.” This argument left me speechless.
What I think is even worse is his making the effort to hide his mental state from her. Out of misinterpreted care, he does not open his heart and mind to her. He is actually treating her like a child whom he does not trust to be strong enough to cope with all sorts of difficulties. This caring is of course well meant and I do not blame him for it but misunderstandings are bound to arise.
Whenever this husband has to go abroad for a couple of days, his wife is full of fear and distrust. Consequently, he has to ring her up several times a day. I wonder why she is scared. Is it jealousy? Is it fear he might not come back to her? On the other hand, he must be feeling like he lives in a cage, constantly under control and never coming to know how to use his ‘wings’. To end this chain of possessive love, distrust, concealment and lack of freedom, the wife could address her husband like this, “Look here, my dear husband, let us strike a compromise. You tell me frankly what you are doing outside the house and what your worries are, if any. After all, to be married means to share good and bad times. Please, do not spare me from harm and trouble, else you will make me feel less important for you. Together we will be able to move mountains if necessary! In return, I will trust you fully.”
How can people develop with increasing democracy and equality of gender if even those with intelligence do not have the slightest idea as to what true love between a male and female means? How can women be respected in general when husbands are looking for ways to flee the couple’s clinginess by betraying their wives?
I would like to go further: when a grown up woman does not know how to show her integrity, self-determination and self-respect to the man by claiming her right to equality then how do you expect the citizens or fanatics to care for the welfare and freedom of females from birth? The depictions given above are the reason why newly born female babies are not welcome.
As soon as women come out of their dependence on men, the problem of gender inequality and discrimination against girls will disappear. Rape, child-marriage and the expectations of women to ‘serve the master’ are partly created by females themselves. They are not yet aware that we are not living in the Middle Ages any more. It is quite comfortable for some married women to have somebody by their side deciding matters of the household, shopping, child education and budget finances. Instead of sharing these routine matters, they are left to the husband. Thus, he is the one who dominates the family although his wife is clever enough to make him believe, she is keeping things firmly under control.
What makes me sad is the fact that these women still depend on men and are not willing or are unable to support those few wonderful female examples slogging away on the improvement of the situation in Pakistan. Malala, a 16-year-old girl, has the courage to face not only the cruelties done to her and others by the Taliban but to face violence in general by open speech. Her stoic and persistent behaviour, when appearing as a fighter for women in regards to education and training, is a shining example for all of us. It makes me feel ashamed to be shown by a girl, almost a child, what heroism means. Why are we not following and supporting her? I do not know a single person with the guts to join her in her struggle for justice and freedom of choice concerning education and further studies for females. Should our admiration and praise for her remain nothing but lip service, instead of suiting the action to the word? It is beyond question that this would mean taking the risk of being shot by the Taliban just as it happened to dear young Malala. Are all of us too cowardly to take this risk for the sake of development and progress of girls and women in a country in dire need of social, economic and cultural adaptation?
I would like to ask all males in Pakistan: how will you carry on without women at all? If due to your hatred for girl-children there are no females left after you have killed them all, then who will care for your offspring? After all, males cannot bear children, can they?
At this point, I would like to call out finally to my dear Pakistani women: please, change your way of life! Be conscious of yourself! Be yourself! Do not continue to be self-denying! Show the power hidden in your body and soul! Show your husbands, brothers, sons and fathers that you are ready to carry your life in your hands. Do not be scared of the fact that your husbands might leave you due to egoistic reasons! Show them that you can do without them if necessary. Do not blame yourself for the misbehaviour of males. Do not self-pityingly cry about sexual violence and the autocratic behaviour of men. As Haroon Janjua states at the end of his excellent article I call on you: “It is not enough to weep. It is time to act.”
Hilde Jacobs is a German citizen and freelance columnist. She may be contacted at [email protected]
VIEW : Reassigning our gender role — Hilde Jacobs
As soon as women come out of their dependence on men, the problem of gender inequality and discrimination against girls will disappear
The article by Haroon Mustafa Janjua, ‘To be a woman in Pakistan’ (Daily Times, October 15, 2013) is a very well written contribution to the general description of women living in Pakistan. Although being a German citizen I experienced an almost-rape in Karachi where I was married to a very kind and loving Muslim diplomat many years ago, I was only saved due to my strong will to teach the rapist a lesson by biting his hand severely the moment he tried to keep me from shouting for help. Allah was with me of course when this rascal took his hands off me because he was distorted with pain. Therefore, I could flee without being raped.
But then, I asked myself what would have happened in case of a real rape? Would I have been stoned or condemned and told to bring four male witnesses to court? I cannot find a satisfactory reply.
Coming to know an intellectual couple in an urban area of Pakistan, he being a teacher/sociologist and she a teacher, I was shocked to learn that both are living, closely connected, in a sort of ‘fool’s paradise’, firmly believing they are a happy, loving couple.
This couple only separates when going to work and in the evening when the husband goes off to meet male friends with the intention of having a chat, a smoke and a cup of whatever, keeping all this secret from his wife. The wife stays at home. When I pointed out to the husband that probably he would not like his wife behaving as he does, he lamented, “But what am I to do? My wife does not like me to smoke and drink inside our house.” This argument left me speechless.
What I think is even worse is his making the effort to hide his mental state from her. Out of misinterpreted care, he does not open his heart and mind to her. He is actually treating her like a child whom he does not trust to be strong enough to cope with all sorts of difficulties. This caring is of course well meant and I do not blame him for it but misunderstandings are bound to arise.
Whenever this husband has to go abroad for a couple of days, his wife is full of fear and distrust. Consequently, he has to ring her up several times a day. I wonder why she is scared. Is it jealousy? Is it fear he might not come back to her? On the other hand, he must be feeling like he lives in a cage, constantly under control and never coming to know how to use his ‘wings’. To end this chain of possessive love, distrust, concealment and lack of freedom, the wife could address her husband like this, “Look here, my dear husband, let us strike a compromise. You tell me frankly what you are doing outside the house and what your worries are, if any. After all, to be married means to share good and bad times. Please, do not spare me from harm and trouble, else you will make me feel less important for you. Together we will be able to move mountains if necessary! In return, I will trust you fully.”
How can people develop with increasing democracy and equality of gender if even those with intelligence do not have the slightest idea as to what true love between a male and female means? How can women be respected in general when husbands are looking for ways to flee the couple’s clinginess by betraying their wives?
I would like to go further: when a grown up woman does not know how to show her integrity, self-determination and self-respect to the man by claiming her right to equality then how do you expect the citizens or fanatics to care for the welfare and freedom of females from birth? The depictions given above are the reason why newly born female babies are not welcome.
As soon as women come out of their dependence on men, the problem of gender inequality and discrimination against girls will disappear. Rape, child-marriage and the expectations of women to ‘serve the master’ are partly created by females themselves. They are not yet aware that we are not living in the Middle Ages any more. It is quite comfortable for some married women to have somebody by their side deciding matters of the household, shopping, child education and budget finances. Instead of sharing these routine matters, they are left to the husband. Thus, he is the one who dominates the family although his wife is clever enough to make him believe, she is keeping things firmly under control.
What makes me sad is the fact that these women still depend on men and are not willing or are unable to support those few wonderful female examples slogging away on the improvement of the situation in Pakistan. Malala, a 16-year-old girl, has the courage to face not only the cruelties done to her and others by the Taliban but to face violence in general by open speech. Her stoic and persistent behaviour, when appearing as a fighter for women in regards to education and training, is a shining example for all of us. It makes me feel ashamed to be shown by a girl, almost a child, what heroism means. Why are we not following and supporting her? I do not know a single person with the guts to join her in her struggle for justice and freedom of choice concerning education and further studies for females. Should our admiration and praise for her remain nothing but lip service, instead of suiting the action to the word? It is beyond question that this would mean taking the risk of being shot by the Taliban just as it happened to dear young Malala. Are all of us too cowardly to take this risk for the sake of development and progress of girls and women in a country in dire need of social, economic and cultural adaptation?
I would like to ask all males in Pakistan: how will you carry on without women at all? If due to your hatred for girl-children there are no females left after you have killed them all, then who will care for your offspring? After all, males cannot bear children, can they?
At this point, I would like to call out finally to my dear Pakistani women: please, change your way of life! Be conscious of yourself! Be yourself! Do not continue to be self-denying! Show the power hidden in your body and soul! Show your husbands, brothers, sons and fathers that you are ready to carry your life in your hands. Do not be scared of the fact that your husbands might leave you due to egoistic reasons! Show them that you can do without them if necessary. Do not blame yourself for the misbehaviour of males. Do not self-pityingly cry about sexual violence and the autocratic behaviour of men. As Haroon Janjua states at the end of his excellent article I call on you: “It is not enough to weep. It is time to act.”
Hilde Jacobs is a German citizen and freelance columnist. She may be contacted at [email protected]
Something about Alexander the Great and his horse Bukhephalus: Zum Bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalia .Alexander the Great and his army crossed the Jhelum in 326 BC at the Battle of the Hydaspes River where he defeated the Indian king Porus. According to Arrian (Anabasis, 29), he built a city "on the spot whence he started to cross the river Hydaspes", which he named Bukephala (or Bucephala) to honour his famous horse Bukephalus or Bucephalus which was buried in Jalalpur Sharif. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern Jhelum City but that is wrong. It happened near Jhelum river and Mandi Bahauddin a district close to Jehlum city and jhelum river. Phalia is a tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin. Tehsil Phalia was named after Bucephalus, Alexander's dead horse.[2] The local Tarar tribe claims that Tarar was the name of their forefather but it is a poor claim because he was not born near 326 BC when Phalia came into existence. The age of Lahore and Phalia is almost same. However,the four subdivisions (Mohallas) are named on the forefathers of Tarar tribe and they are as below:
PHALIA AMEER named on "Muhammad Ameer" ; PHALIA KEEMAN named on "Muhammad Karim" ; PHALIA BOOTA named on "Muhammad Boota" ; PHALIA MEHMAN named on "Muhammad Khan" .
Phalia Boota is also called as Nawan Lok Phalia. With the expension of Phalia, more sectors, towns and Mohallas like Sain Kala Darbar, Lokri, Ranjha Town, Al Haram Town, Durrani Colony, Al Haram City, Manzoor Tarar Colony, Rehman Town and Darbar Pir Yaqoob Ali Shah are also included in the jurisdiction of Phalia i.e. Town Committee Phalia
Geography and climate Phalia is situated at 32.43 N latitude and 73.58 E longitude.[1] It is located between the main cities of Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat, about 23 kilometres from Mandi Bahauddin and 50 kilometres from Gujrat and 45 kilometres from Malakwal and near about 80 kilometres from Salam interchange on Moterway M2, at an altitude of 672 feet (205 m) above sea level.
Phalia has a moderate climate, which is hot in summer and cold in winter. During peak summer, the day temperature rises up to 40 °C. The winter months are mild and the minimum temperature may fall below -2 °C.[3] The average annual rainfall in the district is 50 mm.
PHALIA AMEER named on "Muhammad Ameer" ; PHALIA KEEMAN named on "Muhammad Karim" ; PHALIA BOOTA named on "Muhammad Boota" ; PHALIA MEHMAN named on "Muhammad Khan" .
Phalia Boota is also called as Nawan Lok Phalia. With the expension of Phalia, more sectors, towns and Mohallas like Sain Kala Darbar, Lokri, Ranjha Town, Al Haram Town, Durrani Colony, Al Haram City, Manzoor Tarar Colony, Rehman Town and Darbar Pir Yaqoob Ali Shah are also included in the jurisdiction of Phalia i.e. Town Committee Phalia
Geography and climate Phalia is situated at 32.43 N latitude and 73.58 E longitude.[1] It is located between the main cities of Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat, about 23 kilometres from Mandi Bahauddin and 50 kilometres from Gujrat and 45 kilometres from Malakwal and near about 80 kilometres from Salam interchange on Moterway M2, at an altitude of 672 feet (205 m) above sea level.
Phalia has a moderate climate, which is hot in summer and cold in winter. During peak summer, the day temperature rises up to 40 °C. The winter months are mild and the minimum temperature may fall below -2 °C.[3] The average annual rainfall in the district is 50 mm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_Mosque
The Faisal Mosque is the largest mosque in Pakistan, located in the national capital city of Islamabad. Completed in 1986, it was designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay to be shaped like a desert Bedouin's tent.
It is situated at the north end of Faisal Avenue, putting it at the northernmost end of the city and at the foot of Margalla Hills, the westernmost foothills of the Himalayas. It is located on an elevated area of land against a picturesque backdrop of the Margalla Hills. This enviable location represents the mosque's great importance and allows it to be seen from miles around day and night.
The Faisal Mosque is conceived as the National Mosque of Pakistan and named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who supported and financed the project.[2]
The largest mosque in South Asia, the Faisal Mosque was the largest mosque in the world from 1986 until 1993, when it was overtaken in size by the newly completed Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Subsequent expansions of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia, during the 1990s relegated Faisal Mosque to fourth place in terms of size.
The Faisal Mosque is the largest mosque in Pakistan, located in the national capital city of Islamabad. Completed in 1986, it was designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay to be shaped like a desert Bedouin's tent.
It is situated at the north end of Faisal Avenue, putting it at the northernmost end of the city and at the foot of Margalla Hills, the westernmost foothills of the Himalayas. It is located on an elevated area of land against a picturesque backdrop of the Margalla Hills. This enviable location represents the mosque's great importance and allows it to be seen from miles around day and night.
The Faisal Mosque is conceived as the National Mosque of Pakistan and named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who supported and financed the project.[2]
The largest mosque in South Asia, the Faisal Mosque was the largest mosque in the world from 1986 until 1993, when it was overtaken in size by the newly completed Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Subsequent expansions of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia, during the 1990s relegated Faisal Mosque to fourth place in terms of size.