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A slap in the face for Pakistani women
By Muddassir Rizvi
August 23, 2001
Islamabad - Pakistan's highest Islamic advisory body is the target of ire from
rights groups after issuing a pronouncement that seeks to ban women from seeing
male doctors and from having their clothes sewn by men.
The rule, published earlier this month in the Urdu-language press, has so
infuriated some people that they are questioning the wisdom of having such an
institution as the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).
"We call upon the government to ensure that the CII refrains from formulating
moral frameworks for women of Pakistan," reads a press statement signed by
dozens of rights groups in the country. "In fact," it continues, "we urge the
government to re-examine the rationale and raison d'etre of having the CII at
all, and its advisory role."
Others have called on the military government to do away with institutions that
they say are retarding development by propagating conservative views that have
nothing to do with Islam - but only reflect male chauvinism.
But some observers are advising activist groups to calm down, saying that the
CII's decree is not binding on the government. Says Hafiz Azizur Rehman, who
specializes in Islamic law, "The CII cannot issue a decree fatwa. Whenever
somebody approaches it with an issue, it gives its opinion. The case in point
is also an opinion and not decree fatwa."
Others argue, though, that since the CII is a constitutional body, whatever it
says has considerable weight. Many were also upset to note that the publication
of the "opinion" coincided with a meeting of the National Commission on the
Status of Women, convened by two rights groups, Aurat (Women's) Foundation and
Shirkat Gah, in Islamabad.
The commission was formed by the military government, headed by President
General Pervez Musharraf, to ensure that the voices of women are heard in
policy-making and their rights protected. Interestingly enough, among the
commission's members is CII chairman S M Zaman, who boycotted the meeting.
An official at the ministry of women's development says, "We have been
contacted by some rights groups asking for the removal of the chairperson from
the commission. This is a sensitive issue as it may bring the clergy head-on
with rights groups."
The CII declaration came as surprise to many people as it follows several
decisions by the government that were aimed at promoting women's role in
governance and emancipation in all spheres of life. The government has already
inducted women ministers in federal and provincial governments. Local polls
held on August 2 also yielded thousands of women councillors and at least three
women who were elected as district nazim (governors).
Now, many women see the CII declaration as a reminder to all elected women of
the odds they have to work against. "This is a typical way of thinking of men
to control women, sometimes in the name of traditions and morality and others
in the name of religion," says Rukhsana Faiz, who was elected councillor of the
Punjab town of Sargodha. "But the only objective is to keep women subservient
to their desires."
Seconds Kaneez Zehra, an Islamabad-based consumer rights activist, "The decree
is nothing but the reinforcement of the typical mindset of the religious right
and the reiteration of their position on the role they perceive for women."
Zehra believes the CII's issuance is a direct attack on a woman's right to
choose services and service providers. She argues, "Women have the right to be
treated by a male gynecologist, just as men can go for treatment to female
doctors. In this case the gender is not important, but expertise and
competence."
The CII ruling has also irked the medical community, which believes that it has
put into question the sacred patient-doctor relationship. Ahmed Sohail, who has
a private clinic, says, "When a doctor sees a patient all he cares about is the
suffering of the person, disregarding the caste, creed, sex or economic group."
He also says that in the first place the lack of female doctors in suburban and
rural areas could pose problems for those trying to comply with the CII's
pronouncement. "Not many female doctors go and work in rural areas," says
Sohail. "Even in cities, a majority of female doctors do not opt for night
shifts because of cultural obligations. The other area is the specialization,"
he adds. "Not many female doctors are specialists in fields other than
gynecology."
Those, however, are not the only concerns covered by the CII pronouncement.
According to the council, women should not work in the advertising industry and
as airport protocol personnel. While the CII allows women to work as flight
attendants and in many other professions, they have to do so wearing veils.
According to official figures, 29 percent of Pakistani women have no real
access to healthcare while an alarming 72 percent - as against 47 percent of
males - are deprived of educational opportunities.
Struggling for the repeal of discriminatory Islamic laws introduced by the
military dictator Zia ul Haq 20 years ago, rights groups maintain that
spirituality and morality cannot be enforced through legislation and policing,
in the manner of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.
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