In this regard, modern theorists have started to question the “will” of a woman, and rightfully so. Even if a woman takes purdah out of her own will, it is considered an extension of patriarchal paradigms. It must be kept in consideration, if wearing a burka or a hijab or a niqab is the condition upon which a young woman can acquire education, work in an amiable atmosphere with men, go out of the house to shop, socialize, et al, then it is more useful, in her context, than harmful. The argument Mir presents about giving a woman freedom of choice, is entirely scientific – Education alone, can equip her with the knowledge she needs to make clear decisions for herself. If the first step towards enlightenment would be to tug her away from what a woman has been believing to be her ‘shield’, it would certainly backfire.
Waris Mir does not use the word ‘acceptance’ liberally, but the undertones of his logic is all about giving respect to women as people of equal status, respecting their opinions and well as their intelligence. The Pakistani law, of considering the witness statement of a woman as half, had been a stronghold of Waris Mir’s write-ups. In his lengthy series of articles and columns on the subject, he fought the case of women through religious, legal, philosophical and historical references. In one such column, Waris Mir quotes the Quranic commentary of Maulana Abdul Majid Darya Abadi regarding the issue.
“O Faithful! When you borrow money from each other, it is better that you write it down, and if some third person writes it down for you, they must write it correctly. The writer must note down the amount lent and he must fear god (be honest). And if the one who has lent money, is forgetful, or is not capable of having his calculations written by someone else, must employ two witnesses – two men that you approve of and if not two men, then one man and two women so that if one forgets, the other can remind her (of the transaction) and whenever a witness must be called, they cannot refuse to show up.”
The lawmakers and writers of the 1970s era had begun to argue, since a woman’s witness according to this quranic reference is to be considered half, in an extension to Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s Behishti Zewar, the status of woman in comparison to a man’s too, is half. This new commentary on the Quran, one neither supported by the Sunnah nor the Fiqh, created a havoc in the literary and feminist circles of Pakistan. Waris Mir, the man who fought duels with his pen, sat down to write his heart out: “This is an ignominious way to look at things. If this is how a woman’s statement is to be taken, then would the health and birth certificate written by a female doctor lose its value? The result cards and character certificates written by a female teacher would be shaky? A professional female scientist or medicine practitioner’s researches would be half nullified? It is ludicrous to think of this in a country (Pakistan) where women are going up and above men in every department.”
Waris Mir does not use the word ‘acceptance’ liberally, but the undertones of his logic is all about giving respect to women as people of equal status, respecting their opinions and well as their intelligence
Since religion is a touchy subject and usually literary and scientific logic is discarded, Waris Mir also presented the case from Islam’s point of view: “The first woman to declare witness for Prophet Muhammad’s prophethood was a woman – Lady Khadija (R.A) and Lady Ayeshah, a wife of the prophet, the collector and memorizer of the largest collection of Sunnah, about whom the Prophet himself once said, “Acquire half the understanding of your deen from Ayeshah”. Caliph Umar, had employed a woman mathematician to calculate his finances, and Caliph Abu Bakar considered ‘women to have more knowledge about certain subjects than men.”
Waris Mir was a student and teacher of journalism, an orator who knew how to present befitting rebuttals to his opponents, an unapologetic feminist who dedicated his print space and literary pursuits to dig up knowledge that benefits feminist researchers even today. More than all these, Waris Mir was a man of empirical evidence, of the science of logic. Indeed, it is impossible to silence logic with the loudest of screams – be it the threats coming from the throne of dictatorship, or losing at the hands of a youthful death at the age of 48. Waris Mir’s words ring through the corridors of Time.
Professor Waris Mir’s death anniversary falls on July 9.
The writer is a freelancer