MR

I wanna asking them -"WHY" ?

By-Nadia Islam.

[Response to Mr. T Kalam and Md. Hossain in eShomabesh]

Dear Readers, I just wish to bring a important issue to you that some person of eShomabesh engage in deception to misinterpret my original meaning of my e-mail by giving false allegation. Mr. T KALAM (writer of eShomabesh), your message started with "there R thousands of Nadia Islams & Avijit Roys in this world whose prime purposes in this world R to serve their Masters"..... and ends with "Ms Islam" who will cry Y Islam do not allow Women to have two or more husbands at the same time! whilst man can have two or more wives!" Please mention when I claimed that women have to take two or more husbands. I never said that. Never and never. To speak for women right it not equal to serve for any masters. If marriage for two or three times is wrong...it is wrong for everyone. I know if I uttered all those sweet good idle words/advices or pick those so-called good and moderate verses imprisoned and weeping in the books/articles/lectures you people would surely like me. But the reality is just opposite. Our every days experience shows how cruel and barbaric is our Islamic laws. Why should we remain blind to those laws ?

I wish to summarize here some of the DISCRIMINATION between men and women stated in Quran :

Man has a degree over women. Sura 2:228.

Witness of 2 women equals that of 1 man. Sura 2:282.

Inheritance of 2 women equals that of 1 man.

Men are stronger, righteous women are obedient. Sura 4:34.

Women are asked to stay quietly in houses. 33:33. etc.

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women 4:34 etc.

Women are a tilt for men (to cultivate). 2:223 etc.

Men can marry more than one times. sura 2:3 etc.

Men can beat their women (wives). 4: 34. etc. etc (list can be enlarged...)

How can the women of this progressive age can withstand those discrimination ? ! I have found even some women giving logic that we the women have to go through the monthly menstruation cycles or have to face labor pain etc. So women are naturally inferior than man by every means (What a silly logic they provide!!). I wish to ask them what's the adverse effect of menstruation cycles in human body so that we women have to be discriminated from men in case of witness or testimony ? What labor pain or menstruation cycles did so that as per Islam the testimony of two women is considered equal to one man? Is there any kind of relation at all ? I wish to mention here that in many advanced technological field, women are really contributing around the world. Even in NASA there are a lot of female engineer and scientists now. They all have menstruation cycles. But they are not considered inferior then man regarding their profession. They survives profoundly by competing with their male colleagues. Then why we have to be discriminated by Islamic laws in case of Inheritance or witness ? Please clarify.

I have found that those Islamists (like Shaikhul Hadis and Amini gang) in Bangladesh regularly points out that women-leadership is bad for any nation. They always pertain that our prophet Muhammad also said that there is omen is women and horses! But we have seen that many nations made wonderful progress or under the leaderships of women leaders like Mrs. Bandarnayk, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Mrs. Goldamayer, Mrs Margaret Thacher, Mrs Chandramatunga, Mrs Bhutto or others. Whether we really made any progress in our country in the leadership of Ms.Khaleda or Ms.Hasina is debatable; But we definitely showed that we, the women have capabilities to lead a nation by using our merits. Please specify if I am wrong.

There is no way now to discriminate women by pointing out the differences set by nature, as we are contributing a lot in each and every field of this competitive world. This male dominant society regularly tries to advertise that Men are the protectors and maintainers of women - it is quite natural. They say that nature has defined this discrimination. Something when characterized as natural and eternal, it means we cannot change those rules or customs and indirectly illustrates the attitude of total surrender of the individual to the God and the discriminative religious rules. But nothing is eternal in this world. The concept of society, country, morality, God, regulation, custom, laws --everything changes with time and age. I hope that readers should read some progressive articles (for example articles written by John Stuart Mill) where they clearly focus that how those brutal customs survives as male-dominant society try to establish those customs as natural rules. There was the time when there were no constitutional or statutory right to vote for women. They said that it was natural ! Those days have changed. We women fought for our basic rights in the past and still propagating our fight during the present time.

It's a real pity that whenever a women stands for his rights, some advocators of male-dominant society compares her always with Taslima Nasrin. I am getting personal hate-mails from some sources just comparing myself with Taslima Nasrin. Some mails even call me "bas##rd" Mr Hossain (one of the prominent writers of eShomabesh) also asked me whether I am just another Avijit Roy? No sir. I am not. I do not have that much knowledge to become Taslima Nasrin or Avijit Roy suddenly. I am Nadia.... I stand for my own right. That's all. If there is no CRY AND PAIN in our society FOR WOMEN due to application of some Islamic Laws, if there is no injustice and torture the innocents, if there is no Hilla or tin-taalak customs, there is no reason for us to scream and waste our time after this. We all want justice and peace. EQUAL RIGHT IS NOT A SPECIAL RIGHT. If Islamic laws can give it to us, of course we will embrace it. But I am sorry to say, it could never deliver and will never deliver what it promised to deliver.

Yes I have some real doubt whether those rules are really came from God. While I open Qur’aan and read the divine instruction from Sura Al-Bakara ( Sura-Cow)-230:- "So if he divorces her then she shall not be lawful to him until she weds another husband; and if he (also) divorces her, then there shall be no sin on either of them if they return to each other..."... those verses really make me sad and mournful because those verses encourage those fundamentalists to implement Hila in our society. There are a lot of similar verses in those religious books. Begum Rokeya also showed her disappointment and dissatisfaction towards those verses by saying---"We are not sure whether those religious Scriptures are really the revelation of Godor not. Men actually has created those religious rules and advertise them as the revelation of God to keep womankind in dark" [(Ror: Shompadoker Nibedon (11-13)]. What a straight and bold vocal expression. Even though, our society love to characterize Rokeya as a religious lady ! Cause, Men always love that gentle-lady image of the women.

I hope you can feel my feelings and comprehend my stand and concern on this issue.

Good wishes,

Nadia.

Credit: Fatemolla bhai.