Is it only Iran?

The revolt against Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran started in September this year and is still going strong.

On December 20, the Taliban imposed a ban on higher education for women in Afghanistan. Protests are on, and I wish it doesn’t stop.

Wherever there is war, we hear about women being raped, and that includes Ukraine in Europe. This is disheartening since the best places to be a woman are in Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland) and Canada.

WHAT LIES AT THE ROOT?

I wonder why women’s independence makes powerful men feel insecure. Why do they feel threatened by a free society where everyone has equal rights and opportunities?

Is it guilt and the consequent fear of revenge?

Do they see women as a possession, which will be usurped by their rivals and enemies?

Whenever a crime against a woman happens, I see her being blamed for crossing boundary lines. Social wars are waged against communities who dare to take a woman from another sect.

A man bringing in a woman from another tribe is seen as victory, as spreading his genes is a laudable act. However, the woman is expected to exercise restraint and stay within socially imposed boundaries. Bearing the progeny of another tribe is seen as blasphemy.

So, it is a war between tribes where possession (a demeaning word) of a woman becomes a token of power. It signifies a control on the future, though many of the practitioners do not understand this. They are just acting out a program instilled in them, without knowing who wrote the code and why.

A woman is a living being with the power to choose, and that becomes a source of frustration. Other forms of wealth are inanimate and meekly serve their owners.

Honour killings ensue from this point, where the men prefer to kill a woman before adversaries (or those perceived to be so) take her.

There is no respect or regard or recognition for a woman’s choice.

The ban on education and employment for women, insistence on hijab and other means of oppression stems from a fear of their capability to take their own decisions. They are seen as tools to satisfy carnal instincts and bearers of future generations. It is their reproductive system that matters and motherhood is worshipped. But societies live in denial of the fact that female bodies also possess a brain and heart, and their minds have an independent will.

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Friday Faithfuls