The spectacles coming out of Iran are mind-boggling as people- of all ages, genders, classes, women and men- have taken to the streets and formed groups to make a bonfire of their scarves. Having done so, they have exposed the militarized Iranian regime that has radicalized people in the garb of religion. Given this historical uprising after the Arab Spring of 2011, it has shaken the political, cultural and religious structure of Iran to the core. Will this latest revolution turn Iran for the better, could not be gauged right now; however, it has posed a big challenge to the Iranian regime and its moral force that has been committing violence with impunity.
Historically speaking, the rise of Burqa politics is part of all post-colonial states. It is used as a technique to control women from political participation given the fact that once women are on the streets, it puts the whole apparatus of the state under pressure, leading to chaos, mayhem and law and order situations. This is what happened when Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, suffered a brain injury and was murdered at the hands of the moral force of Iran. This has led to widespread condemnation not only inside Iran but also across the world. Reportedly, the Iranian people have blocked 31 cities in defiance of a misogynistic regime that is put in place to disregard basic human rights.
Given this incident, it can be said that the theocratic regime of Iran with underlying misogyny is not much different from that of the Afghan Taliban. Both are using the religion – Islam – as an instrument of fear to oppress, threaten and harass women. Their high-handedness is regrettable, deplorable and more importantly against the teaching of Islam for the fact that it speaks for basic human rights by saying that ” killing of one person is the killing of all humanity”. Similarly, there is another verse in the Quran that says that God has created all human beings in different colours, races and regions so that they may know one another, meaning therefore that there is ample space in Islamic values and teachings for dissenting people. They cannot be killed based on colour, creed, and religion.
Once women are on the streets, it puts the whole apparatus of the state under pressure, leading to chaos, mayhem and law and order situations.
Owing to the basic fundamental principles of Islam, it is clear that nobody has the right to kill or murder people, let alone women for not wearing Burqa in the name of Islamic values. Therefore, both the Afghan Taliban and the theocratic regime of Iran must respect people’s choice of attire, dress and way of life. They should not act as a divine force as it is the right of God to punish people in case of any moral transgression. Hence, it is time for the Iranian regime and the Afghan Taliban to understand the fact that religion is a personal matter, and God is the sole arbiter. Thus, any state that is trying to arbitrate between people and God is transgressing the principles of Islam.
More worryingly, the treatment of the Afghan Taliban with women is disheartening, pathetic and reprehensible. They have not yet allowed young girls to go to school, colleges and universities. Half of the population is living under the fearful regime of the Taliban. Besides, they can’t get out of their homes without a male person accompanying them. Comparing the treatment meted out to women by the Afghan Taliban and the misogynistic treatment of women in Iran, it can be said that their sole aim is to marginalize women in the name of implementing Shariah. This is purely an attempt to “otherize” women, making them pariahs and subservient to the regressive regime that is blatantly committing violence.
In the same vein, the case of Burqa politics in India is horrendous given the populist politics of the Hindutva regime that is trying to saffronize the whole of India, destroying its moral, spiritual and secular fabric. The use of religion by Modi has divided India along the religious lines where Muslim women are forced to put off their Burqa. While the Afghan Taliban and Iranian regime are forcing the strict implementation of the Burqa, the Hindutva regime of Modi is hell-bent on destroying the centuries-old practice of wearing Bura by Muslim women. All three regimes are one way or another trying to subjugate women and refusing to give them basic rights of choosing their attire and way of life. Whether it is the Islamization of Iran and Afghanistan or the saffronisation of India, it is a recipe for disaster as all of them are refusing to give women their basic rights to speak, eat and dress.
In a nutshell, the rise of Burqa politics is on the rise as a result of populist politics in Iran, Afghanistan and India. While the Iranian and the Afghan Taliban regimes are using Islam as an instrument of fear to thrash women, India is using Hindutva politics in pursuance of power at the expense of Muslim women. Until this power-hungry attitude of these regimes changes, people will suffer, especially women who are always at the receiving end.
The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]