Disclaimer: I am no woman, neither women right activist. Just a human being trying to understand the world around me.
A few weeks ago an English Daily had a front page cover of western Muslim lady joining the jihad. Its glossy section carried the cover story of women liberated from what to wear, whom to marry where to go.
quite opposite but actually two sides of the same coin. If women want to fight for Islam and think that’s their route to the almighty what’s wrong. If they want to kill the oppressors and take revenge for their brethren, in turn taking revenge for wrongs done to them, how can it not be freedom?
Telling a woman to wear jeans to be free or go out to the pub or walk in whatever cloth pleases you, liberty? Or another from of liberal slavery of western ideology. All cultures respect, rebuke, exploit ,encourage their people irrespective of sexes in their own way.
How has liberalization of women helped the US of A or European countries in 40 odd years in actual women growth.all they have ended up doing is exploiting more women as sex objects, models, materialistic products. How many women have risen to the top of political, economical religious social leaderships?
All you hear are deputies, Vice Presidents, one off Marisa Mayers, Hillary Clinton. At least Asians had much better success rates of women leading from the top and front.
Just being able to walk nude in the market is not liberation. Either for men or women. How many times we have seen men wearing skimpy cloths and walking in public places. How do we look at those men?
This Islamic jihadist expansion is correct at the principle level. No wonder people are joining it hordes and so are women. This to the is far more liberating to most women than getting exploited with the western form of liberation. At least they get the gun.
My worry is not being called a Hindu feudal mindset RSS fed bigot. But that how our well-established value systems of eastern civilizations wether Japanese, Indian, Sumerian of an equal society with roles defined for each strata being challenged and changed by propaganda and media frenzy. And it’s not just women. But they form the crux of either jihad or crusade.
Because that where it all starts, in her womb. That’s the cradle. A liberated free-thinking girl, woman, mother is the most powerful weapon. All want to control that weapon. A woman earning, liberated westernized, gives her kids Kellogg’s, feeds them Horlicks, takes them out to MacDonalds, treats herself to expensive beauty treatments. The whole economy booms at her expense. And she thinks she is liberated. Where is her freedom, if she is doctrine into this. Better still she refuses to get married, has kids, and live and independent life.
The other cut half. She is doctrined to be at home, with her mother who is uneducated. Her education is religious because that’s what she is supposed to do. Bring up kids, cook food, give good values, have sex, remain in hijab because that what Allah wanted her to do. Not because she wanted it so.
In a world divided in these two poles is there a middle path? Yes, there is, to my mind. Here women get the same education as men, have the same chances as men. They make their choices knowing fully well of their weaknesses and strengths. Contribute to the larger good of the society by being what they want to be happily. Be the umbilical cord of value systems, culture, tradition and goodness through out. Are the only light and hope in life of many desperate souls. As wives, friends, mothers, sisters, daughters, bosses, colleagues, goddesses, gurus, teachers, bankers, social servants.
Multitasking at their speed and choice. Comfortable in their skin, being who they are. Not trying to ape the west blindly.
This middle path seems familiar to most of us because that’s us. Around us. We need to stand for it. Ensure it remains like this and is strengthened not defend it remember. It’s not indoctrinating. Neither through media nor through madrasa or mandir.
We all need women around us, they make us who we are. The stronger are they, stronger we will be.
They don’t need any liberation, all they need is self-belief and will to find their own path. The sooner, the better for all of us.