Respect Women!

We (Indians) think we are progressing...............but are we? Really? Can a society that disrespects and abhors its women (i.e. 50% of the society) be considered as civilized at all? The growing cases of intolerance and violence against women pose serious questions about India as a civilized country. Where is our rich culture and tradition? Or, the so-called culture and traditions themselves are the impediments?

The religious organizations like RSS/VHP and their Muslim and Christian (and others) counterparts have never been in favor of giving the women their freedom. They obviously are inspired only by their own holy books! Take for example: Shri Ram asks Devi Sita to go through “Agnee Pariksha” (Test of fire)! Why? After all that she had to endure, she still had to prove herself? Take another example: if the ‘sin’ had to be undertaken, it was the woman who had to eat the apple first, and thus, is made responsible for all the ‘sin’ in the world! Why do Muslims consider women should be behind the ‘burqa’ and not a man? How many women do you find as head of a Church? Religious people can give thousands of explanations; but the truth is that the thought process has always been to blame the women for all the evil in the world. So, the world is totally stuck up with these ideas!!!

Just see what is happening around us!  

The heinous cases of rape/murder are on the rise....from across the country, not just from the north; and they don’t spare the children and the elderly! Female feticide is always on the rising trend; unfortunately it’s higher among the so-called educated and rich class!

Today the Head of Aligarh Muslim University orders that women should not be allowed in the library. An education institution is supposed to promote liberal thoughts and values....instead they are going back centuries!

A Congress leader (Mohd. Yousuf Bhat) from J&K so brazenly declares his daughter as a burden and shows in his papers as a liability. This is a man who can become a Law-maker in a matter of months! A few months back Mulayam Singh, referring to action against rapists had publicly spoken that “boys will be boys; they will make mistake!” RSS chief Mohan Bhagawat says women are meant for household chores and not for earning their bread. Choice of a Hindu girl falling in love with a Muslim boy is labeled as “Love Jihad” by BJP.

The police and the leadership repeatedly blame women’s attire as causes for the violence against women (when data shows clearly that there is no correlation between the two). What kind of attire should a child or an old woman wear so as not to attract the vultures around them?

As long as the rules of the game are written by the men, this will continue. The ray of hope is that women are now seen taking part in all kinds of socio-economic and political activities. Things will change faster with better reach of education and opportunities to women.

As long as we cannot respect our women and give them their rightful place under the sun, we cannot call ourselves as civilized. Perhaps the process of evolution will take another thousand years before we become truly civilized!!!