Women are a Curse?

Pakistan’s image is receiving blow after blow. First, it was the Lal Masjid incidence that showed the world our country’s fanatical, violent and backward side. Now, Chief Minister of Sindh, Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s comments show the world that Pakistan has leaders who are unabashedly male chauvinistic. Now the question is, what are we going to do about this? Are we simply going to be indifferent, as usual, and ignore such comments? Clearly, if we don’t demand a public apology, we will actually be encouraging such comments in the future and our silence will indicate that such opinions are completely acceptable.
What on earth was going on in Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s mind when he called the rule of a woman, any woman, a “curse” and “unlucky”? Perhaps he was thinking that a woman’s rule undermines male power and control, leaving men helpless. Or he may have been thinking how ridiculous and unacceptable the whole notion of female rule was. Obviously, these ideas and opinions are ingrained into an individual by his or her immediate society and upbringing. The only thing that can change such narrow-minded attitudes is proper education, observation and an open mind. In the case of Arbab Rahim, he is obviously deeply conditioned to believe that women in power are truly a “curse” and “unlucky”. On the other hand, perhaps he had Benazir in mind when he passed these comments. A deep loathing of the ex-Prime Minister could have resulted in these harsh comments. However, he did not have the courage to say that “Benazir’s rule was a curse”. The fact that he made these remarks without fear of undermining his political career and reputation, show how acceptable these comments are amongst the feudals, the tribals and segments of the largely uneducated Pakistani population. Ironically, it is said that in 1994, Arbab Rahim actually begged Benazir to appoint him as the parliamentary secretary. I suppose a man who begs a woman in power for a post has nothing to be ahsamed about, he is clearly not considered to be a curse.
We were fortunate to have a female Prime Minister but it is really very sad that she did not come up to our expectations and leave behind a good impression. However, Benazir’s faults cannot be blamed on her gender. It is true that she did not have the courage to get rid of the Hudood Ordinance and take a stand against her corrupt husband, but we have other courageous Pakistani women, both alive and dead, to look up to, such as Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan, Fatima Jinnah, Asma Jehangir, Hina Gilani, Mukhtaran Mai etc., apart from the large number of women who made huge sacrifices during and after partition.
Women make up 52% of Pakistan’s population. Despite being the majority, they suffer from the usurpation of their rights, rape, incest, domestic violence and basic inequality. For centuries, they have suffered grave humiliation and have been crushed under the heels of chauvinistic, patriarchal men. So who are the real curse — women, or men like Arbab Ghulam Rahim?

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