Comments on: Widowhood: A life interrupted

By: Mohammad Arif

Mohammad Arif — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:44:51 +0000

In most part of India also, the situation is nearly same like or worse. And in Hindu community it is like crime against humanity. But the situation has become a little better. I remember during my childhood (nearly 30 years ago), one man from Rajput Hindu family had died. His family was very rich and they were like landlords. He was the head of the family. We, as children liked him very much. Sometimes when our primary school classes were over at evening and we were going back to our homes, he will suddenly appear on the road and chase us and distribute sweets. Please note that time there was no gap / difference between Hindus and Muslims (every body was practicing their religion peacefully and without any objection from others and no hatred among them). When he died, the people wanted to burn his wife also with him but she resisted and finally they left her from burning alive. But after that her life became like hell or worse. She had to shave all her hair. She had to wear only very cheap white saari. She couldn’t go to temple. She had to leave her house and live in a very small dark room. She was to cook her own food in one pan in that room and eat alone. Nobody should touch anything of her. They were giving her very limited food which was only enough for one time in one day. She had to live mostly in the room in dark – without any light. She was not allowed to go to public places and also was not allowed to show her face to anybody. If she was caught in Public or in temple, she had to be beaten by hunters. She was only allowed to go for daily routine requirements in the night in dark and for bringing her water also she could go only in dark. But even if somebody saw her in the night, then again she had to be punished by hunters and sticks. There were many more things I cannot write here. But one thing I’ll write that she was many many times raped by his own family members and outsiders and there was no complaint of this, since she had to live alone in her small room. The cruelty finally was over after some years when one of her family member killed her for capturing her property. Alaas, we loved her and her husband but we children couldn’t do anything since nobody will listen her. Seeing these crimes against humanity, I hate this type of religion. Can anybody tell me where in Vedas these atrocity has been written. Shame on you who are the protectors of religion. Shame on you.

By: Abdullah Cheema

Abdullah Cheema — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:43:12 +0000

Brother its Deuterogamy (A second marriage, after the death of the first husband of wife),Islam doesn’t allow polygamy(The having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time) for women but men.

By: Rakesh

Rakesh — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:56:45 +0000

@Manghirmalani

The writer does have a name—Faiza Mirza
If you read her previous articles, I am sure you will realize that she is well meaning in all her articles and doesn’t intend to be rhetorical. On the contrary she does have good things to say about our country/society.

I recon she is being objective in this article and is certainly not absolving the Pakistani society of the prejudice inherent in them either.

Let our generation give peace a chance.

Wishing you success in everything you do!
Rakesh

By: Rao

Rao — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:52:22 +0000

Please read other articles written by the same writer in Dawn. She is not prejudiced against India or Hindus. I agree with the author that widows in India, among Hindus, face much more discrimination than Muslim widows. Remarriage is not a taboo in Islam, but in traditional Hindu societies it is a taboo
For your information…I am an Indian, born into a Hindu family.

By: idol worshipper

idol worshipper — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:59:14 +0000

It may sound strange but it is women who are against women and it is men who are doing things to get them out. There are mother in laws, sister in laws and other wonderful women who will pass these rules as who is auspicious and who is cursed.

By: Dr. Najia Khan

Dr. Najia Khan — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:36:14 +0000

Dear Prafulla, i shared with you all the experience my mother had. She is as strong as your colleague as she is the reason for us to have professional degrees and successful in our lives. I am protective towards her, but as someone has very truly commented in one of the posts that in the subcontinenet many traditions and trends are still being followed without any consideration for those being logical or not – my mother and her siblings were brought up with similar mind sets. It is sometimes difficult to go against what the society believes in. Look around and we find many single women in powerful positions, independent, intellectuals who do defy the rules of the society. We are talking about the way “We as a society” treat single women.
Some elders of my family, when I was orphaned, were against pursuing a career in medicine, my mother was the only person who stood for me. Life for a women, no matter how educated and urbanized we in the South Asian countries are, will be difficult.

By: Tabassum

Tabassum — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:36:12 +0000

Just because you don’t understand religion, you cannot make it a private matter. People are on WAR in the world and ranjit says it should be a private matter. Brother, All the prophets had one and same faith. Bases was same always that there is none worthy of worship other than Allah. They came one after another and spread the same message. I don’t know which hotline you are talking about but YES all these prophets were the chosen ones of Allah and the only HOTLINE(as u said) I know was the angel Gabriel who used to bring them Allah’s revealetions. All of them taught same thing that worship ALLAH only and do NOT worship IDOLS. IDOLS cannot give you anything. HOw can something made by you can give you something. How can you make your own god and worship it. God is the one one who made you and not whome you made and he is the one whome you should rely upon.
Allah gave different commands accoring to different eras. And its the people who did not follow the commands as they came. If people had believed all the prophets and did as they said which was a command from Allah then there would have been no conflict. The whole humanity would have followed mohammad because he is the last prophet(sallalaho alahe wasallam) but people stopped till their own desired prophet who in turn taught them not to do so. Thus the fault is not in the religion. It is in the people who for their own pleasure did not follow the whole chain of prophets. There is only one religion and that is islaam which is taught by all the prophets.

By: Virkaul

Virkaul — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:31:47 +0000

@factcheck, Roop Kanwar died in 1987. Pl check on google.

By: Sunil

Sunil — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:16:16 +0000

That may be true about several pakistani authors; but not about Faiza Mirza. She has a very balanced mindset. I have read several of her articles. She is equally critical about many aspects of pakistani culture – Sunil

By: tabassum

tabassum — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:11:01 +0000

Well I don’t agree with you. She has highlighted both the societies. Read it again. And if you think she mentioned india more then may be problem in india is more than pakistan. At least someone wrote about women of india or else people are stuck with BOLLYWOOD mania there!