Nudity does not define a woman

Egypt was once again in news, and this time it was about a young girl and her blog post. Some termed it a slap to the patriarchal set up of society, whereas others labeled it as free pornography. One thing made clear is that when it comes to women, standard is still ‘man’.

Reading Yasmin Mogahed’s article, Empowerment of Women Speech, I came across following lines, and they fit so well to the affair under discussion.

What she (women) didn’t recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness–not in their sameness. When we accept men as the standard, suddenly anything uniquely feminine becomes by definition inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a full-time mother—a degradation. In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and selfless compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigned supreme.

We as women are still striving for acceptance. Our lives still revolve around how men perceive us, and in the drive to prove our equality, we are willing to break all boundaries.

The arguments presented in favour of the nude pictures posted on the blog post seem flawed to me, at least.

When a woman is the sum total of her headscarf and hymen – that is, what's on her head and what is between her legs – then nakedness and sex become weapons of political resistance. The Guardian

Aren’t men a sum total of their bank balance- not necessarily proportional to intelligence or character- and masculinity? So is then robbery and rape a legitimate weapon of political resistance.

What we need to understand is in societies, not just women, but men are also judged by certain parameters of sexuality.  Words like sissi and queer are not yet archaic, even in the free societies of the West. Does it mean now that homosexual men should post their nude pictures on a blog, proving their manhood and freedom of choice? – a slap against straight world.

Nakedness- a form of protest is another one that makes you think about where we are headed. Human society has evolved into the form we today call civilization. However, hailing a practice that reverts you back to Stone Age, seems worrisome, especially in the context that these very supporters of nakedness term ‘veil’ to be a medieval custom. 

When it comes to sexuality, the gender anatomy plays a very significant role, which cannot be denied. Till men have testosterone flowing, a women’s body will incite lust, no matter how much nudity is spread around. It’s time that feminists acknowledge this reality, and unless they can change the hormonal mechanism of a male, they should stop demanding change in a man’s view towards a female body. What should be done instead is to use the soul, the feminine character, traits, and nature to gain equality- not similarity.

Coming together of sects...

It was eve of 5^th Moharram, 1433 hijri, when a momentary silence blanketed the gathering at a prominent imambargah of Karachi. The cause, speaker referred to a hadith coming from Hazrat Aisha. He then explained the need of showing respect to personalities of Islamic history who were neither dishonored by Quran nor by Ahl e Bayt.

I expected a string of text messages to flow after this, rebuking the speaker. I expected lesser crowd next day at the majlis. I expected all hush hush commentary on the speaker’s remarks. To my sheer relief, none of the sort happened. This kind of acceptance was not something one would have anticipated a few years back.

At the other end of the spectrum too, a similar emphasis on convergence of beliefs is evident. Last week on facebook, I came across videos of a sunni scholar who was presenting argument in favour of the claim that  Hazrat Ali ibn e Abi Talib (A.S) was the most honorable amongst all companions of Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W)- an integral belief of shia ideology-with reference to sayings of First Caliph.

Today, on one of the prominent Pakistani TV channels, again a sunni scholar was found praising the purified family of Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W) in light of the verse of Mubahila from Holy Quran- a reference often used by followers of shia sect.   

This growing mutuality of understanding is not just confined to scholars of both sects, but seeps down to common man. I met, in my comparatively small but fortunately diversified social gathering, individuals from shia sect who choose to study the Sahih books of ahadees- generally Sahih’s are linked with sunni school of thought- and those from sunni sect who are awe inspired by the personality of Hazrat Abbas (A.S)-a revered historical figure of the shia sect.

There are those sunnis who support Iran, its policies and governmental form. There are those shias who support the resistance of Hamas in Palestine.

No doubt these are relatively small changes in respect to terrorist attacks being carried out on shia processions and sunni mosques. There are still many who harbor animosity against their neighbours based on sectarian identities.  Even today not many people know the fundamental doctrine of these two schools of thought.

However, the rising spirit of coherence among scholars of both sects, as well as among those at grass roots level, holds in it the promise of hope, and I feel like clinging to it.

a lover of simple life

As two of my friends brandished their love for technology and expressed elation for being born in this time and age, I listened, silently. The outward silence was not matched by the commotion that was rising inside of me. I do not belong to this era I thought. I am a lover of simple life.

Technology is not for me. Living in Karachi, the fast paced, ever working city, my day ends at few hours into the night. As my Facebook and email inbox pile up with notifications, I sleep, only to rise up and know the news turned stale, the hype is over. And hey! I never played any of those ‘ville’ games yet.

Twitter for me is to read news articles. Only thing I know is how to follow someone. What is this craze about tweets? How do u hashtag things? How do you even tell someone you like their tweet? I am clueless.

Movies, I love watching them, ok, but I don’t want to spend my money on DVDs. A friend enlightens me: Stupid!  Get them on torrent. Really! Can u get me one on the usb till I download this Torrent thing. You guessed it right, Torrent never entered my computer.

Cell phones are another one. I am blank when it comes to all these cell phone models in the market.

What is the difference between iPhone and iPod? well I atleast know how to google this one.

This story of my tech-illiteracy can go on forever…..

But do I belong in this freaking techno world. I wonder why am I not in a time where I can tend to horses in the stable and read a book sitting on the porch under the starlit sky.