ISHFAQ-UL-HASSAN
NEW DELHI, AUG 14
Days after the Delhi rape shocked the nation, noted social activist Teesta Setalvad said India had taken a majoritarian and extremely supremacist path under the present regime.
“We take equality… What kind of country are we in the 21st century that can have a disgusting auction, particularly targeting Muslim women. How much bias and how much discrimination we have towards the women,” Teesta said addressing a virtual seminar on `Plight of Women in Free India,’ organized by the women’s wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH).
She said some sections of women are more targeted within the structural discrimination. “We saw what happened in Unnao and Hathras. We saw what happened in Delhi on August 1 when an eight-year-old girl was raped. We saw it in Kathua when an eight-year-old Muslim Bakarwal girl was gang-raped inside a temple. So, of course, there was outrage among a section of women. But it was not enough because the policy of division and fear has silenced the majority. When you have advocates marching in favor of the accused with a “tiranga,” it is a matter of great shame for this country,” she said.
Teesta said several women showed dignity and courage when young Muslim women were put up for auction online. “Brave woman took it up. Whether it is Noor Mehvish, Hana Mohsin, or Afreen Fatima, each one of them took it up with so much dignity and courage. They proved that they are not a piece of cloth, which can be put up for sale. They are vocal women and speaks for the community,” she said.
Speaking on the occasion, Kavita Krishnan, secretary of All India Progressive Association, said women should be given freedom and free choice whether in marriage or any sexual act. She said the atmosphere in the country is very dangerous for women.
“Our society is restricted. There is violence against women, but people are not ready to accept it. They say they are protecting women. There was not much danger to the security of women earlier than now. The central government and UP government are calling themselves Hinduvadi. They want India should become a Hindu nation. Any country where the majority dictates the terms, it will be anti-women,” she said.
Quoting a 2013-14 study in Delhi, she said 40 percent of rape cases in court were not true. “Women had eloped with her lovers, and their parents had filed rape cases. There is violence against women perpetrated by parents inside their homes. Slapping, beating, keeping locked in a room, and not giving food is part of the violence. But nobody wants to talk about this issue. Everyone approves it in the name of disciplining the so-called rogue women,” she said.
Young poet Nabiya Khan on this occasion, shared personal anecdotes and recited a poem encompassing the struggle of women. “A few years ago, my headmistress objected to my hijab. Though she was wearing sindoor, which is her right, she was questioning mine. When right-wingers auctioned 80 Muslim women, it sent shock waves. It can become real violence. Recently 5000 people took out a rally and openly claimed that they would destroy Islam. An FIR was lodged, but there is no progress,” she said.
She recited a poignant poem to encapsulate the condition of women and the brave face they are putting up to defeat these elements. “Sahil ki khamoshi ko cheerata hua le ke Ehtijaj ka sailaab.. aaye ga inquilaab, aaye ga inquilaab, pehan ke bindi, chudi, burqa, hijab,” she recited her poem.
International orator, writer, and activist AS Fathima Muzaffer regretted that women are being treated as baby-producing machines in the country.
“In 2011, India was ranked fourth worst country viz safety of women. It is a pity and shame that we became number one in 2018. In this country, hoardings are put up asking people to spend Rs 500 and save Rs five lakh by aborting a girl child. That is why we have a male-female imbalance in our country. We kill girls in their mother’s womb. We are even behind Afghanistan and Congo,” she regretted.
She said even in the army; there was a sex scandal. “A woman lieutenant was sexually harassed. Women are looked at as baby dolls. They are judged by the food they prepare. This is the status of women in India. The general mindset is that we are looked unwanted liability,” she said.
Rehmathunnisa A., National Secretary, JIH Women’s Wing, presented a vote of thanks. She thanked the speakers for taking time off their busy schedules to shed light on the topic.
(Ishfaq-ul-Hassan is a journalist from indiatomorrow.net)
