Pakistani women’s rights activist Mukhtaran Mai has a blog on the BBC. Check it out.
Mukhtaran Mai became a heroine after her dogged pursuit of justice in presenting court testimony after surviving a gang rape ordered by village elders in 2002.
I hope this lets Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf know you can’t swan around talking about “enlightened moderation” and promoting book deals if these problems continue to occur. That the “rape thing” is not just going to float away. The issue needs to be addressed even if it makes you uncomfortable. If shaming the country by airing dirty laundry is what it is going to take than that’s what will happen.
Now that i’ve had a a go at one of the only moderately “not-psycho fundo” leaders of Pakistan i’ll continue my decline by ranting at the “concerned” western audience.
Giving Mukhataran Mai autonomy and a voice is a great step in preventing women like Mukhataran becoming pawns and silent victims in the war of ideologies. It avoids the paternalism that proliferates amongst western critics of Islam and even certain feminists (who when their critiques are used to justify imperialism only succeed in becoming class collarationists.)
The focus should be on change from within, on empowering people to empower themselves…not bombing them to empower them which is… uhh kind of wrong and warped.
Via Feministing
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