Women Empowerment- The Dark Side

According to Pakistan Today, “an empowered woman will be one who is self-confident, who critically analyses her environment and who exercises control over decisions that affect her life.”

In simple words, women empowerment is about the freedom of choice and decisions to shape their lives. 

Women empowerment has five elements:

·          Women sense of self-worth (means they know their value)

·         Their right to have and determine choices

·         Their right to have access to opportunities and resources

·         Their right to have the power to control their own lives both within and outside home.

·         Their ability to influence the direction of social change.

These five elements are the essence of women empowerment. The remaining article is based on these five elements; we will criticize, and raise question(s). I will also include some Islamic prospective regarding this topic, whether Islam support this or not.

I firmly support women empowerment; because it is their birth right. There are still some rural areas in Pakistan where female feoticide is practiced; it is the selective abortion of female fetuses. Although it is illegal, but still many people are practicing it. It is heard that there are some communities which are practicing female infanticide- killing the girl child once she is born.

Acid throwing on girls, in rural areas, is common for rejecting marriage proposals, sexual advance or jealousy among relatives.

Honor killing in Pakistan is known as karo-kari. Honor killing is happened when girl in found in love affairs, caught having sexual intercourse or elders are provoked by someone. Pakistan has the highest the highest honor killing documented cases per capita of any other country in the world. About one-fifth of the world’s honor killings are performed in Pakistan, according to Wikipedia. When male commit an immoral behavior then its ok, because he is boy. But when the same thing is done by female, then here honor comes…

In this regard, yeah I agree, that women must be empowered enough to protect their selves. We need to work on women empowerment in this regards.

But my point is, do they really consider these issues related to women? As per my experience NO!!!. I am not against the 5 elements of women empowerment, if they would follow those elements then there was no room for criticism. But they are not following those elements. They wanna go beyond this. They think that women are empowered when they are free to do anything and everything!!! Let me explain my points in next few paragraphs.

They say that man and woman are equal. Woman can do things like man. Women should go side by side with men. But in reality this is not the fact. They both can never go side by side, because they are different, physically and emotionally, from each other. Man is physically stronger than woman, while women are emotionally stronger than men. Man is suitable for earning while woman is most suitable for raising child and teaching. When you preach total equality, you might lose gender identity. They can’t be equal in any aspect, because if they suppose so, then why Allah made these gender differences?

Another criticism which I would raise on them is that they are demanding vulgarity in the curtains of women empowerment. They say that we must be free to do anything, no one should ask. Yeah, I would also say that no one should interfere in some one’s affairs. But husband, father and brothers have the right to ask their wives, daughters and sisters. It doesn’t mean that they want to dominate over them; it’s simply means that they care about their women. If someone don’t ask you about anything, then be understood that he feels no concern to you.

If you read their placards and listen to their slogans then you will realize that simply they want their man under their feet… that is the straight forward motto of their empowerment. This desire leads the society to big failure of the family system, because there is no love, no dedication and no affection in such relationships, there is only feeling of dominance. I am not saying that man should be totally free and let them do what they want. I simply say that man should perform his own character and women should play her own character in relationship, there will be no need of women empowerment.

According to the women empowerment’s five elements, they should target rural areas, where there is no empowerment, there is full male dominancy. Rural females are raped, murdered, thrown acid on them, and killed for honor. But they don’t go there, they are empowering females in cities, where females are already empowered, educated and know their real worth, know laws. What does it mean “ apna khana khud garam karo”, “ tumharay mozay ka mujhay kia pata?”, “mere mammay nahi, tumhari soch choti hai”, “ khana garam kardongi, bistar khud garam karlo” and many more….

Where are there five elements in these slogans? What they wanna do???? Simply there is a specific group of persons, who had attached their own benefits with such slogans. They want freedom (vulgarity) for their own self. They have no concern with the lady whose face is destroyed by acid thrown, with the lady who was killed for honor. Go and do face surgery of her and get her an earning source if you really want to empower her.

If our society really practices Islam then there is no need of woman or man empowerment. Islam has clearly defined responsibilities for each and every one in the society. Women are entitle to have share in her father, brother, husband and son’s property. Islam says to man that your women are your property, take care of her. Islam says to woman that man is your protector, take care of his property.

Finally, I am in favor of women empowerment if they practice their own five elements. If they fight for women rights, where there is injustice. But spreading vulgarity behind the slogan of women empowerment is a dark side of it. Government should make regulations in this regards and should strictly care of real women rights.