Facebook memories reminded me that I have written this post on 12 March 2016, thought of sharing it here –
Though, I have already jotted down on Valentine’s day and International women’s day but considering the compel constructed by a very dear friend of mine to write something on the recent incident of Jamia Millia University -the institution from where I did my bachelors and masters degree programme, I finally thought of writing few words.
On International Women’s day some posters were hanged with some BOLD messages.
Well! Before, I proceed (about this year messages put forward by group of students who wants to remain anonymous), I want to highlight the similar incident which took place last year in the same month, March and like this time, it was highlighted in some online journals as well, some people appreciated them and considered them as BOLD and others considered them as derogatory.
The style used last year was quite inimitable; the sanitary pads were found hanging around a tree or other places with messages-
“Period blood is not impure your thoughts are”
“Menstruation is normal, rape is not”
“Streets of Delhi belongs to women too”
“Kanya kumara gandi soch tumhari”
And this year on Women’s day the hand made posters were seen on campus with some messages
“Make love use protection”
“Above 18 and not a virgin”
“Surprise! women enters sex too”
“Make love in Jamia”
“Jamia loves gays”
I examined the whole comments again and again and I personally concluded that some girls are behind such campaigns and may be few boys have assisted them in it or may be not, and I tried to decode the motive behind these BOLD messages, and guess what, the motive was simple, “liberation”
But wait really?
Is liberation so easy and simple to understand and stand for?
Well! Before jotting anything and plow deep into the matter, it is better to confront the condition of the country. Nodoubt,India is a country where women has suffered a lot and still suffers a lot, long before she is even born, she is detected, though it is “officially ban” here to do sex determination but then too female foeticide is highly practiced here, can you imagine, foetal sex determination and sex selective abortion has grown into a RS,1,000 crore industry as per reports!
So, the discrimination starts long before she has even arrived in this materialistic world from her mother’s womb, then she has to battle the abuse, be it physical or emotional, being a girl here means, the great fat dowry expense, and thus the burden, she is suffocated to death because of not meeting the expected dowry. She is considered impure during her periods and she is even asked to sleep on floor and denied the entry into kitchen, as it will make the utensils impure and is provided with different utensils, everything she touches or wear during her periods becomes impure, yes it happens here, even today, in many places.
Such type of atrocities is very common here, now obviously, being a woman in the subcontinent, she wants ” liberation” and here she is not even heard, let alone liberation. So she screams, screams loud enough to get “heard”, Sometimes, writing bold messages on pads or sometimes even by going nude and writing messages on her body to draw the attention and getting the coverage enough to get heard.
My heart goes with every such girl who was/is a victim of the society and the system (of oppression).
But my heart pains a lot when I found the energy of the oppressed going in the direction of hope from where the whole cycle of oppression begins.
Yes, thoughts are the greatest wealth of any nation and the nation is degraded if it asks its women to sleep on floors or not to enter the doors just because they are menstruating.
Yes, you need to scream but dear girls, if writing on pads and being nude is the way you are getting heard then realize the source, the system is corrupt and you need to stand against it as changing the filters of the corrupt source is not the solution.
It is not only you (girls) who are molested, abused or raped, men get molested, abused and raped too, children are not safe either, even the animals are not safe here, you must have read the recent incident of Tamil Nadu where an injured cow was tied and raped.
Yes, liberation is your right but don’t buy the definition of liberation from those who are expert to shackle the thoughts and oppress you in ways which you even know not.
“Make love in Jamia, Use protection” “Above 18 and not a virgin” “Guess,women enter sex too” , Well!everything BOLD is not beautiful, these type of slogans clearly indicate that you are one of the victim of this capitalistic society whose nucleus is individualism and whose kalma is self benefit only.
It clearly indicates that you have not understood the concept of love, love doesnot mean getting physical and satisfying your lust by using the condoms or contraceptives, love is beautiful, love is when we care for each other to develop as moral beings, love is to admire, to inspire and get inspired for some beneficial work toward humanity, love is to take care for the justice for all, irrespective of anything.
You are not a sex animal and for you the definition of love should not come from item numbers, it should not come from those who sell sex online and make crores out of it.
To make love in Jamia in reality should mean to nurture the minds and souls which carry the spark of revolution in their hearts to bring a CHANGE – Change in the lives of the poor who are getting poorer day by day, change in the lives of the farmers, who are escaping this world because of debts and oppression, change in the lives of the innocents who are labelled as terrorists, change in the lives of the ones who are brainwashed and are used to incite hatred and violence, change in the lives of the oppressed, irrespective of their gender, and religion.
Change in the perspective, in thoughts is what will bring joy and love, and this is the love we need to make in Jamia with *protection* from the oppressors who will try to extinguish it!
May Allah swt bless us all with the criterion to judge between right and wrong, to judge between oppression and liberation and to stand for it.
Amen.
Now as far “Jamia loves gays” is concerned then even you know it very well that Jamia dislike gays, may be some people under the pretext of being “modern” are popping up to show their support but majority dislike gays and yes, before you argue, I know and I accept it is not right to judge something on the parameter of majority and minority;s likes and dislikes.
Obviously, there is nothing like absolute freedom, we agree to that,freedom too has its own limits, otherwise the society will be in utter mess, as someones’s freedom to rape is the victim’s oppression. So, there is nothing like total freedom, freedom should have its limits of right and wrongs. And even this is explicable what we may like or dislike depending upon the right and wrongs, varies from your right and wrongs, these right and wrongs is something very subjective, but if there is a standard to refer it to, then things become manifest and evident in separating right and wrongs.Though, many of us are born into muslim families but some of us are not practicing ones and even if they are practicing then too they are following only some rituals of the religion of their ancestors in which they are born, but there are many who have researched well, and they have believed in Islam because their hearts and minds have testified to it, our standard to judge right and wrong comes from Holy Quran, the standard to judge,which has a clear stand on homosexuality.
In the Holy Quran, the people of Prophet Lut(a.s) have been discussed often. These were people who heavily dwelled in homosexuality.
And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, “Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire, (instead of women). Rather, you are a transgressing people.” Al-Araf 80-81
And yes, before your pseudo intellectual thoughts will bombard you to label me as someone backward and out of my mind then I humbly invite you to read Holy Quran with unbiased mind, if you are in quest of Truth, you will inshaAllah reflect upon His book.
May the message reach to those for whom it is written.