A Tehran court recently sentenced a mother, her daughter and their friend for protesting the compulsory hijaab. Over the past two years many other women have also been arrested for taking part in the #WhiteWednesdays movement – a movement which was started by Iranian women posting photographs of themselves wearing white sans their hijaab. In…
Category: Political
Opinion: On Aurat March & Its Aftermath
On International Women’s Day, the same day as the march, a man in Lahore flew into a rage and shot his wife multiple times over an argument.
Opinion: Aurat March Placards Explained
How come smoking harms the lungs of men but also the character of women? How come a man having affairs is a stud but women doing the same is a slut? How come a man who is bold and confident is attractive but a bold woman is kharab? Jo ghalat hai, woh sab k lye ghalat hai. Jo sahi hai, woh sab k lye sahi hai.
Shahbaz Taseer on his Kidnapping & Women’s Rights
“The human spirit is beautiful – it can heal and more importantly: it can forgive.” Shahbaz Taseer to Pax Femina
Hussain Haroon on Women’s Rights in Pakistan
“50 % of the population normally is women, right? So you’re reducing 50 % of progress straight away if you do not allow an open policy where everyone is allowed to function. I’d go a step further: I personally believe that you have got to break the mould initially, after which women will look after their own.” Abdullah Hussain Haroon to Zeina Toric-Azad
On Arif Alvi & Women’s Rights
Acclaimed writer, Zeina Toric-Azad sits down with Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi to discuss his plans for women’s rights in the coming year in the country. A bullet still remains lodged in Pakistan’s Commander in Chief, President Arif Alvi. A momento of a violent protest in 1969 criticizing Ayub Khan’s (then-regarded) liberal regime. A prominent…
Jibran Nasir on Women’s Rights
Speaking to a Pax Femina reporter, Mr. Nasir made the following statement on women’s rights in Pakistan: “I think the most one can do is support efforts by women parliamentarians, women activists and academics. And women political workers who are trying to bring in reforms. Who are trying to change the discussions and dialogues about
For Saudi and Israa
What criteria does one have to meet before being ranked unfit to live? There’s endless discussion on the morality of capital punishment. On the one hand, can we call ourselves civilized if we must commit murder to maintain the peace? And on the other: Why should we waste societal resources on people who refuse to
An Inqilab Without Women
It’s imperative to say up front that no political party in Pakistan comes even close to allowing women the rights and liberties they deserve. This we must admit not because we’re cynics, but we acknowledge that there’s a lot more room in the glass to be filled with water. Any politician who makes vague promises…
‘Men, Money, Mullahs and Military’
“Creating a damsel in distress fantasy that the average person will resonate with, the Muslim woman is now seen as a caricature and little else. On the flip side, fundamentalist forces in countries like Pakistan disdain the concept of feminism, calling it a western construct with no place in our society, culture or history. Between these two very strong and unwieldy ideologies, the very identity of the Pakistani woman is lost.”