Pakistan "Islamizes" women: Head and face covered in obedience to men
Faisalabad ( AsiaNews) -
Activists , civil society, Christian and Muslim leaders have repeatedly denounced
a gradual " Islamization " of Pakistan in recent years, marked by
terrorist attacks and attacks on schools, as well as threats against
individuals involved in the struggle for human rights and civil liberties. A
recent survey prepared by the Population
Studies Center of the University of Michigan (United States), and based on
the answers given by the citizens of diverse Muslim countries in the field of
women's clothing, seems to confirm this trend. Citizens
of the Asian nation believe women must cover their faces (or at least the head
), wearing the niqab or abaya , and only 2% of respondents ( 51 % of whom are
men) believe that women can be seen in public with their faces and hair uncovered.
The
university scholars conducted their research between 2011 and 2013, examining
the inhabitants of seven different Muslim majority nations: Tunisia, Pakistan,
Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon , Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Starting
from the question of how women should appear "in public" to be morally
"appropriate" and consistent. Respondents
were shown six different images that depicted a burqa , the niqab, three
different forms of the veil (more or less adherent), and finally an uncovered woman's
face.
Of
the more than 3 thousand respondents in Pakistan , 32% chose the niqab; the
abaya was the second choice with 31 % of the vote; only 3 % want the burqa; a
meager 2 % no covering . In
general, in the seven Muslim states picture showing a woman wearing a veil that
leaves only the face uncovered prevailed. Only
in Lebanon, the majority (about 50% ) opted for the woman with their hair and
face uncovered .
In
Pakistan, only 22 % believe that women can "dress as they see fit",
while more than two thirds are in favor of precise directives in the field of
clothing; finally , 92% of respondents felt that wives should "always"
obey husbands and only 7 % believe that marriage should be based "on love".
The
results have sparked criticism and comments from activists and members of civil
society. Interviewed
by AsiaNews, the leader of the
Christian youth Aila Gil says that "women should be able to dress up as they wish.
it's their fundamental right, we are living in a society dominated by men where
women lack the freedom to make small choices even they have their dress
dictated by men". The
young pacifist leader and human rights advocate Yousaf Benjamin says new
generations must " bring a change in mentality ," hoping at the same
time for "a future based on human dignity and freedom."
The
Muslim political activist Iftikhar Ahmed has some doubts about the quality of
the investigation, because it is a "cornucopia of conservative thinking. The veil
system in Islam has no roots at all. Women have full right to wear whatever
they want so I totally disagree these kind of surveys and conservative
thinking". In contrast , the
survey results are not surprising at all for feminist Nazia Sardar because they
are a mirror "of the scenario that we have created over the past five
decades." She
hopes for the removal of all "discriminatory" laws and policies
marking gender "differences" in society. "Such kind of study is the clear
picture of the product which has been produced by the education where we feed
the mind of a child from childhood that women are less than men and they must
be controlled by men".
For
Shazia George , on the other hand , people should cover their faces " only
in places of worship", while the practice "should be discouraged in
the open spaces and public places for security and anti- terrorism reasons".
These fears are also shared by activist
Amina Zaman , according to whom "you can not know " who is behind a veil,
it is "male or female" , and this practice would ultimately "
encourage terrorism and provide a shield for supposed terrorists. "
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02/02/2018 09:22
