Feminism in Pakistan: A brief history

Feminism in Pakistan: A brief history

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Following the catastrophic attacks of 9/11, Islam was suddenly propelled to

the centre stage in the world media. Journalists, politicians, religious scholars
and civilians alike began to decode and debate Islamic concepts and practices,
perhaps in an attempt to justify what had happened. This gave way to many
misconceptions and stereotypes regarding the religion.

Out of the countless false notions that sprung up, the idea of the ‘victimised
Muslim woman’ is the perhaps the most common. Terms like ‘veil’ and ‘burqa’
are now part of regular political jargon claiming that Muslim women are
subjugated and victimised by these fundamentalist Islamic practices and
should be rescued from their entrapment. To make matters worse,
understanding and tolerance for feminism in Pakistan and other Muslim
countries remains low, limited to a narrow continuum between eastern and
western ideologies. Feminism is generally regarded as unnecessary; a
construct of the West which deserves no importance in the Islamic structure.

In their acclaimed 2012 study entitled Position of Pakistani Women in the

21st Century, Dr Jaweria Shahid and Khalid Manzoor Butt define feminism as
equality for women and freedom from gender discrimination in different
aspects of life. “Feminists are those who dare to break the conspiracy of
silence about oppression, unequal relationships between men and women and
who want to change it,” they write. “All feminist pursuits are aimed at social
movement acquiring rights for women from society.” Keeping this under
consideration, one might argue that feminism in Pakistan is a complete myth.
Ever since its independence, in Pakistan have been battling exploitative
treatment at the hands of their male counterparts – the social, economic and
political environment making it difficult for them to progress and fight for
their rights. There has almost always been some backlash against women who
wish to empower themselves be it by studying, working or even choosing a
spouse for themselves. NGOs and other institutions that work to help
oppressed women are accused of misleading and ‘brainwashing’ them. Most of
these women internalise their suffering, either out of fear or a lack of
resources to turn to and the relatively affluent, educated upper class simply
turns a blind eye, hoping to maintain their status quo.

Broadly speaking, there are two dominant threads of feminist discourse in

Pakistan: a modern, Islamic feminism and a secular feminism. Modern Islamic
feminists such as Riffat Hassan, Amina Wadud and Asma Barlas seek to
further women’s rights by redefining Islamic views and focusing on the

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 Feminism in Pakistan: A brief history

female-centric laws Islam offers. This form of feminism appeals largely to the
lower, middle and upper-middle strata of society which looks to religion for
answers. Secular feminists like Shahnaz Rouse and Fouzia Saeed consider
feminism as an extention of basic human rights, regardless of any religious
connotations. Once again, these women are labelled as protagonists of
western culture by those who misconstrue Islamic teachings to suit feed their
own, chauvinistic principles.

Unfortunately, what most people fail to realise is that feminism in Paksitan is

not entirely a novel concept, nor is it anti-Islamic. In fact, Islam was the first
religion to formally grant women a status they had not enjoyed before and
taught moral, spiritual and economic equality. There are countless quotes
from prominent Islamic scholars, ahadith and the Quran itself, promulgating
women’s rights regarding different of life, including education, marriage and
divorce. In politics, the undertones of feminist ideals have existed throughout,
coming to the forefront only recently thanks to advancements in media and
education. Fatima Jinnah, for instance, fearlessly led thousands of women to
stand up for their well-being even before Pakistan was created. Soon after,
Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan founded the All Pakistan Women’s
Association (APWA) in 1949, aiming to further the moral, social and economic
standing of women across the country. Similarly, the Women’s Action Forum
(WMA) was established in September 1981, lobbying and advocating on behalf
of women without the resources to do it themselves.

However, the real wave of feminist struggle arose in 1980 as a reaction to

General Zia-ul-Haq’s controversial implementation of the Hudood Ordinance
which asked rape victims to present four eye-witnesses for their claim to be
accepted. The WMA publically opposed the unjust rulings passed under the
bill, raising awareness. The forum included women from all spheres who spoke
against the government in the media, protested on the streets, conducted
educational campaigns in schools and devised the famous ‘Men, money,
mullahs and military’ slogan.

Unsurprisingly, feminism gained most traction during Benazir Bhutto’s two

terms as Prime Minister (1988-1990 and 1993-1996), during which time NGOs
and focus groups were given considerable power and urge the government to
make amends. Unfortunately, the momentum decreased once Nawaz Sharif
took office in 1997 and women found themselves losing ground to political
conservatism and religious revivalism, as indicated by Afiya Sherbano in her
study on the History of Pakistani Feminism (2009). In 1997, the Council of
Islamic Ideology recommended making burqa mandatory and honour killings
also rose to new highs. Some lost ground was reclaimed when General Pervez
Musharraf rallied for women’s rights and encouraged their involvement in
media, sports and other socio-political activities. The movement has continued
to this day, albeit with lesser intensity than before. Together, the WMA has
successfully enabled many women-friendly bills such as the Criminal Law

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 Feminism in Pakistan: A brief history

Amendment Act (2004), the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, the Criminal Acid
Act, Protection of Women Act, Status of Women Bill and sundry regulations
condemning honour killings and other vices faced by women in Pakistani
society.

In an article published in the New York Times, writer Bina Shah argues that,
“A feminist movement can only succeed when it mirrors the makeup of the
women and the society for whom it operates. ”Perhaps if more Pakistani
women sought inspiration from these great achievements in feminist history,
the position they held in society would be much higher and Pakistan would not
be ranked amongst the worst countries for women to live in. A proponent of
secular feminism, Bina argues that secular feminism is more democratic
scope and resonates with the pluralistic feminist movement worldwide, as
opposed to being restricted to just Pakistan and Islam. “Pakistan needs a
feminism that elegantly marries both strands of feminism, secular and
Islamic,” she says. – “That is how Pakistan was formed- on both Islamic and
secular principles.”

However, much like everything else, equal rights for women are impossible
without stringent political support and when that is not met, feminists need to
take matters into their own hands. “While the space for women in nationalist
politics was always small, the space for feminist politics in Pakistan is almost
non-existent,” explains writer Madihah Akhtar in her article on Feminists in
Pakistan. “Feminists, of both the secular and Islamic flavours, have to be
content with voicing their opinions through non-governmental organisations
and in academia, both in Pakistan and abroad.”

Perhaps secular feminism is the answer to rectifying Pakistan’s image before

the world. Women’s rights may be misunderstood, under-represented and
disregarded in Pakistan but they are by no means absent. Our people need to
be informed that feminism does not mean being anti-male or anti-Islamic.
Those rallying for women rights need to be clearer and more united in their
stand and find a workable balance between what is right and what we know.
The message of feminism does not signify that women should in any way be
superior, nor does it call for immoral and anti-religious practices. It simply
strives to make the lives of women across the world a lot easier than they are
used to.

“As a woman, I don’t ask for equal rights from anyone. I believe in
working hard and achieving my own goals. No one should get
preferential treatment due to gender. Capability empowers people to
succeed, not noise. Men are our equal partners and hence we must
keep them involved in our success.” (Atiqa Odho, Actress &
Entrepreneur)

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 Feminism in Pakistan: A brief history

— Written by Mehreen Ovais. Published on September 23, 2014 in Express

Tribune.

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