Then we are divided by gender. If you go to any South Asian country, you are first struck by how many women are visible in the streets, going about their daily business. In Pakistan, on the other hand, they have been steadily incarcerated in their homes. The other day, I asked Fateh, my fisherman friend, why the women in his village did not play a more active role helping their husbands and fathers. He replied that he remembered a time when they did go out on boats, helped haul in the catch, clean the fish and salt them. But over the years, they have tended to stay home. As a kid, I too recall seeing my mother cycle off to her civil defence meetings in the early years of Pakistan. In the fifties, my girl cousins used to ride bikes to get to Kinnaird College in Lahore. This would be unthinkable today
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Originally posted by Ali_R:
**ZZ,
Can you please provide us facts about the same issue concering India? Would like to know how much difference there is.
**
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nope.. i never visited pak.. so can not tell if the above columnist is correct or wrong..
This is interesting. Apart from hammering Pak about its other policies, Mazdak makes a new point.
“In the fifties, my girl cousins used to ride bikes to get to Kinnaird College in Lahore. This would be unthinkable today”
In the fifties there were open bars, brothels and dance parties. It was then a fashion to drink and womanize and going to mosque was considered backward. Things have changed. There is a resurgence of Islam and young men and women say their Namaz and research the Holy Quran. Drinking and womanizing is no more considered as a sign of ‘class’. Mazdak is a senile old man who can’t see the changes in society. I wonder why “Dawn” publishes his trash.
women going alone, on bicycles, are not necessarily prostitutes. independence of women does not necessarily lead to brothels (u know the lifestyle of sheikhs in arabia and they do not allow independence of women, but harems exist) just becasue some girl is capable of living life on her own does not mean that she lacks character.
[quote]
Originally posted by ZZ: women going alone, on bicycles, are not necessarily prostitutes. independence of women does not necessarily lead to brothels (u know the lifestyle of sheikhs in arabia and they do not allow independence of women, but harems exist) just becasue some girl is capable of living life on her own does not mean that she lacks character.
[/quote]
Though what you are saying is true..but infact there are a lot more women in the workforce in Pakistan then there ever were before. Yes the moral standard has gone up and this just means that people are more aware of things they were not aware of before.
[quote]
Originally posted by ZZ: women going alone, on bicycles, are not necessarily prostitutes. independence of women does not necessarily lead to brothels (u know the lifestyle of sheikhs in arabia and they do not allow independence of women, but harems exist) just becasue some girl is capable of living life on her own does not mean that she lacks character.
[/quote]
Though what you are saying is true..but infact there are a lot more women in the workforce in Pakistan then there ever were before. Yes the moral standard has gone up and this just means that people are more aware of things they were not aware of before.
There is one thing i don't understand and that is why only women are restricted from douing certain things when the question of Islamization commes up
A girl can't goto Kinnaird on a bike today because there would hardly be a single man who wouldn't hoot at her or stare at her. I can't imagine a girl crossing the Lahore neher on her bike in the presence of all those almost clothless people. Why morals and ethics only apply to women? Why men don't keep their eyes down isn't this wat Islam says?
Women are the easy target and there is no doubt Pakistan is a male dominated society, where women who dare to stand up or be different are told u can't do that u r a girl think abt mehndi, choorian and jootey and this is personal experience i am talking about.
Someone said, that a culture is judged by how they treat their women and chldren. Well, It seems that Pakistan is about to become another Afganistan. Support for the Taleban type of Islam is growing rapidly. Since there are Taleban supporters in the Pakistan Army, I hope they dont get hold of the nuclear weapons. That will be real disaster.
[This message has been edited by Tanhaa (edited October 07, 2001).]
think about mehndi choorian and jootay!!!
no go back to ur room!
ok i,m kiddin.
i personally agree with fanta, i,m not saying women should be liberated to do watever they want to… but MEN should have a little more decency and sharm o haya in them… i admit majority of pakistani men are jerks and pervs (me excluding ofcourse). and i would personally hate ppl who act that way. Checking out chicks is an art and most pakistani guys suck at it. You can b totally decent and check out chicks, but i guess most dont really care, khair, for personal coaching in the matter i cud b contacted at my email…
and yes i think its a bit unfair on the girls. I wont approve of girls going to colleges on their bikes, but if they do so, it doesnt mean u all have to stare so hard that ur eye balls nearly drop out. Its all about decency and sharm o hayaa. and some aren’t born with it.
but fanta, just stick to mehndi n choorian n stuff
Personally I think the writer of this article got it all wrong.
He was looking for bicycle-riding females going to Kinnaird College. If he had looked carefully, all the girls are now coming to the college, driving their own Suzuki Khybers and Balenos
Moreover, almost all village women take part in the farming activity all over Pakistan. Maybe Fateh, the fisherman, was a bad example who got stuck with a lazy wife
Its true that more and more women are now working in Pakistan. Part of it is because of changing cultural trends where working women are no more looked down, and part of it is because of economic reasons. More and more bachelor guys are hoping for working wives.
I am sure there are similar trends in India, maybe even more pronouced where more and more women are coming out to work and earn their keep. Financial independance is apparently the buzz words in women colleges these days. Many of my female cousins are also planning MBAs, and MBBS and other professions. Its no more a big deal, actually.
Pristine its true women going into different proffessions is no big deal anymore but the sense of security required is just not there. yeah most girls do go to colleges on there khybers but the prob is can they go on a cycle if they want to? I don’t think so not without what i have mentioned above.
