“Woman is a Fitna”, shouted Nadeem at the top of his voice, so as to make his viewpoint more authentic by blurting it out more vocally. “No, she isn’t”, rebuked Zulkifl “How can you; still in 21st century uphold such fascist and conservative views despite being enrolled as a Masters student in this reputed university?”, Zulkifl trying to win over the classmates to his viewpoint by sounding progressive, liberal and upholder of woman’s rights.
“It isn’t being fascist or conservative, but experience has taught that woman is Fitna, temptation, distraction and real shadowy originator of numerous problems”, retorted back Nadeem trying to sound being an expert as far as practical issues are concerned. “Now it is ludicrous, woman a temptation and seductive. Nadeem you are sounding as a typical Talibani or some cadre of Hindutva Brigade. You consider her body seductive and temptation for men, who can’t control their emotions because of the woman being too liberal to keep your norms of morality”, Zulkifl now taking stance as a real Woman Rights Activist.
“It is not held by me only, but Islam teaches us so and Holy Prophet(pbuh) has described Woman as Fitna alongwith Property” assured Nadeem. Zulkifl had to conceal his real emotions because he considered this saying as Anti-Woman but for the fear of being labeled as an Apostate he meekly replied “We must see in what context Prophet called woman as Fitna and not generalize this statement for all women as it would calculate to injustice”.
The discussion ended without any concrete conclusion and the small silent congregation of students which had assembled around to see the two friends deliberate, discuss and debate the issue had now started to disburse and they too had taken their own routes promising to meet next day, though Zulkifl called Zulfi despite the fact that there were no Zulfs on his head and his receding hairline was being compensated by his growing waistline, was thinking all through his journey to home about the saying Nadeem attributed to the Prophet regarding women which he found too revolting, as he had read the Islamic history with deep ponder and held in reverence the pioneering and great role played by women for spread of Islam.
Zulfi being a voracious reader had also delved deep into the modern history of the world and came to know about the exploitation and sheer injustice perpetuated by certain elite on masses and majority of people. This sense of exploitation was deeply nauseating to him, hence he felt himself as a new born revolutionary and reformer who was going to put an end to this whole system of sheer injustice and exploitation as was operating in the world.
Womanhood which has been exploited, marginalized, pauperized and wretched through ages thus held a special soft corner in the heart of Zulfi, who after coming in contact with the feminist literature found himself twice new born with the feminist discourse high on his nerves he was always ready to pick up any cause of any woman without ever thinking or arguing whether the woman is on lawful stance or illegal one because for Zulfi a woman could never do wrong as she had been wronged since ages. His new discovery about the growth of Islamic Feminism in Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia was a divine miracle and affirmation for him to go ahead and start this Islamic Feminism Project at his native conservative place though still he didn’t had the courage to do so fearing the blowback from the Mullahs.
Despite all this newly acquired arsenal in his armory to defend himself from the attacks of critics of woman’s liberation like Nadeem he hadn’t launched an offensive on this front, though the words of Nadeem were resounding in his mind like ringing bells and he began to calculate the merits of woman instead of them being as Fitna.
- Woman is the epitome of motherhood, love and sacrifice.
- Without woman, no separate existence of man is possible.
- Woman is the highest manifestation of the beauty of God on earth.
- Even from Political Perspective if the Women were to assume the reins of the world politics, wars would come to an end because women believe in compromises and conciliation rather than confrontation, as men do because they are aggressive by nature.
Still occupied with these thoughts he went to university next day, where he could feel the chemistry building up between Nadeem and Nusrat, a student from a different department, though Zulfi had been the knot which was responsible for the present bonding between the two. Zulfi by his nature was crazy for books and galz.
Some time back he and Nadeem had fallen for a certain girl and challenged each other to propose her first, Zulfi won the challenge and instead of one gal he proposed her two friends too which angered all the three and they rebuked Zulfi violently, though he still was the winner but this condemnation made him too remorseful about the act.
After some days the same galz said sorry to Zulfi about their behaviour, and instead of adding new names to his girlfriends list, he found three new sisters. Semesters passed and relationships grew thicker, among them. Nusrat had a liking for Nadeem which she expressed clandestinely to Nadeem and as a conservative honorable girl didn’t even want Zulfi to be aware of the same. Though Nadeem had been Zulfi’s fast friend through thick and thin but he too persisted on Nusrat’s advice and this Love Tangle began to grow while Zulfi being in dark as ever.
When one day Nusrat’s friend Kazi rebuffed, rebuked and resounded to Zulfi that “why can’t he let others to be in Peace and why is he poking his fingers in everybody’s business ?”, zulfi was at his wits end as he couldn’t understand anything but kazi admonished him with the perception that Zulfi knew everything, and after a brief lull Zulfi could finally see the shape of the things to come.
Nadeem whom he had trusted with his life had stabbed him in back by keeping his love a secret from Zulfi. Only few days of a girl’s love was enough to betray trust of a seasoned all weather friend. Zulfi drank cups full of anger, betrayal and agony with a reverend silence and started sublimating his pain with the hope that soon Nadeem would confide his Love Secret to him but alas the moment never came and everyday the wall of trust and friendship began to crumble driving a sharp wedge between the two friends.
Among the words of anger which kazi shot and wounded Zulfi permanently were “He(Zulfi) was jealous of Nadeem because Nusrat choose Nadeem instead of him, despite the fact that Zulfi too liked her and tried womanizing with her”.
Zulfi could never overcome the trauma of these words and could never solve the dichotomy between womanizing taunt(label) which Kazi had bestowed on him and Woman being a Fitna which Nadeem had generalized, while trying to solve this riddle a tickle of tears ran on his face, which were feeble enough to make it to the ground in the bright hot afternoon.
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University & can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com
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