| by Dirgha Raj Prasai
( April 9, 2013, Kathmandu, Sri Lanka Guardian) Many influential Muslim, Christian and non-Muslim women were and are in top positions in many nations of the globe. But none of these women contemplate social problems faced by their lot. Women are raped, murdered, robbed but they never find justice. They are forced to opt for carnal professions in many places. And regardless of the degree of suffering handed down to women at the hands of men, men are never blamed. Women neglected by men are equal to the status of non-citizens.
Nature has itself discriminated in between woman and man. Humanity's wisdom in the world's society cannot be created unless the inequality existing between women and men is neutralized. A Muslim man can divorce his wife by oral announcements; the wife has no right to divorce at all. When a Muslim husband has pronounced divorce three times on his wife, she then may not lawfully remarry her husband until she has married another man, properly consummated the marriage and has been divorced by her new husband. When a Muslim husband has pronounced divorce three times on his wife, she then may not lawfully remarry her husband until she has married another man, properly consummated the marriage and has been divorced by her new husband. Islam teaches that a wife is subject to punishment by her husband; beating
a wife or abstaining from sexual relations with her is legally allowed under Islamic Sharia.
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Have any woman human rights activists ever spoken against the inhumane culture that a Muslim wife is subjected to divorce when her husband repeats the word divorce three times in her presence - in regard to a simple dispute?
The situation is worse for Muslim woman in the world as compared to others. Muslim women have been suffering since their births. Salman Rushdie and Bangladesh's Tasalima Nasari have highlighted the lopsided behavior and trends in Muslim society. These two have raised their voices on the basis of equal justice.
Bangladesh's Tasalima Nasarin is endeavoring to break the unequal radical religious traditions prevalent in Muslim women's society. The shape and tradition of Muslim society can be reformed by the Muslim regime. Muslim women are suffering under male dominance and their mantle is the black Burkha. They have become toys of men. Where are human rights activists? Have they fought for liberation of the Muslim women and other women of the world over from such practices of injustice and neglect? Where is the United Nations?
Similarly, in Nepal, the Badi women are also stateless. We can make efforts to arrange residences for Badi women and provide them prompt management of citizenship and guaranteed reservation. The plight of Badi women are like that of animals in Nepal. There is a compulsion for flesh trade. Women lawyers, teachers and other literate women holding positions in political parties and sister organizations have been shouting at the top of their voices. But they have never said a word about the problems faced by Muslim and Badi women. The laws of these nations hold no relevance to Badi and Muslim women. The nation does not have the ability to free Badi women from the compulsion of the flesh trade. This is the reason the Badi women had to resort to demonstrations in the nude outside the entrance of the Singha Durbar secretariat.
Bangladeshi Dr. Tasalima Nasarin has put her life in danger to rebel. There is a bounty fixed on her head. Nasarin, who has a degree on medical science, is a famous author in Bangladesh.
She writes, "There was no difference perceived in the Greek women of 5th century BC and slaves. Even Plato did not perceive this. In the fifth edition of the Republic he says, 'The duty of women is to remain as housewives and comply to her husband's orders.'"
The marriage of girls is to a limit, like a letter a girl accepts for her life without knowing if her husband is of good character or a drunkard, where he will beat her, or whether he can produce children. If a girl's husband is worthless, money-minded, errant or conservative, she would want to be free of such a hellish world. However, even Christian religions failed to remove the plight of women. This religion also made them subject to male supremacy.
Florence Nightingale had said, "Jesus Christ did not talk of the rights of women. Even Ram committed sins against Sita. Sita had to prove her purity and virginity by giving an examination of fire. No men gave her shelter. She had to demand shelter from the Earth. The women's insolence and shameless ruin has been expressed numerous times in Hindu epics of Ramayan and Mahabharat."
Crowds of people thronged with thoughts of marriage after being influenced by the revolutionary life of Nasarin. But no one's influence touched her. A man named Rahim wrote a letter wanting to marry Tasalim. Nasarin gave him a precondition, "You have to cut your beard, give evidence that you do not have HIV/AIDS and you have to promise to clean dishes and wipe the floors." It is said that she even attacked the radical Mulla in this fashion.
Have any woman human rights activists ever spoken against the inhumane culture that a Muslim wife is subjected to divorce when her husband repeats the word divorce three times in her presence - in regard to a simple dispute?
However, Tasalima Nasarin has rebelled for women all over the world. Nasarin writes, "It is mentioned in the Muslim religious script, the Kuran that, 'Speak the truth even if that is your opposition.
There is a popular rule in Islam to allow for marrying four times. The Great man Hajarat Muhammad was married fourteen times. Hajarat Muhammad had said, "A Husband can leave a wife for four reasons." (1) If a wife declines from hearing when her husband beckons her to come with him after beautification, (2) If she declines from accepting husband's call to lay with him, (3) If she abandons her female duty and reads of doxology,(4) and if she leaves to visit another person's home without her husband's consent. The Muslim society needs to abolish such inhumane order without keeping any prejudice.
Tahasila Nasarin writes in regard to the behavior between males and females in religious scripts of the world. She writes, "There should be a ban on Mahabharat, Ramayan, and the Bible like on the Hadis Kuran if there is to be no defense. There was a commotion in regard to the Mosque of Ayodhya. They used to beat feeble Hindus they named 'foreigners.' They turned the temple that lay near the house into soil. I brought a piece of the temple. Seeing that, my mother was astounded. My mother could not distinguish whether the piece was of a Mosque or a temple. If religious shrines destroy the love and tradition of individuals then such temples, mosques and pagodas should be destroyed so as its existence perishes. Man is of more importance than brick and stones." There is a lot of humanity in Nasarin.
The books of Tasalima Nasarin like other trained revolutionary woman are banned. There is a warrant on her name in Bangladesh. When she wanted to become a citizen of Western Bengal of India, it went in vain as India did not show any interest in that regard. Likewise, the book of 'Satanic Verses' written by Salman Rushdie made them insecure. Where are the human rights activists of the world in such a situation? In this world of 21st century men cannot remain prisoners due to any religious reason. Muslims love the Muslim religion. The Muslim religious clerks ought to take the efforts undertaken by Nasarin to reform their defects in positive way.
It is a big violation of human rights to attempt to keep the Muslim wives as the status of slave in such a modern world. Will everyone's eyes open for the liberation of Muslim women as well as the world's depressed women?
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