Sania to play in a Burqua???
I was shocked to read about the recent fatwa issued against Sania Mirza regarding her dress during her on court appearance. Shocked due to the fact that the clerics choose to overlook the fact that the girl had taken Indian tennis to a different level, the choose to turn a blind eye to her recent performances, they choose to forgot that she is ranked 34th in the world, and worse still is that she has reignited the passion Indians had in tennis after Paes-Bhupathi duo’s heroics in doubles.
For the so called protectors of Islam, its not important as to what Sania has managed to achieve in such a short period of her career in tennis. She has managed to come up to the top of world tennis, even after being trained in India. For many youngsters who are aspiring to be on the top of tennis, Sania could be the ideal role model. And the most important thing is that in a country where no other sports other than Cricket gets its worth, Sania has managed to get the attention of both the people as well as potential sponsors.
For the clerics, the dress Sania wears during the matches have become a concern. I cannot believe how people can be suppressed in the name of religion.
I might be ignorant about Islam, but I find it hard to believe that Mohammed wanted the women to be oppresses. I cannot believe that God wants woman to stay in the house, look after the various needs of a man, and not to have any freedom of her own. I am sure that no God would have willed that women should be looked down upon or oppresses as in many countries around the world.
Every religion has its share of humiliating women. For the believers of Hinduism, in Ramayana, Rama asked his dutiful wife to prove her loyalty to him by walking over fire. For the believers of Christianity, a number of women were condemned as witches and burned in the 1100’s in Europe. But to find stories of this kind in today’s world, where man’s knowledge about the world he lives in has reached its peak, is disheartening.
I am not against Islam, but to hear stories like these from lands ruled by them, I am forced to think how narrow minded they can be. I am sure no God would have laid down rules that they are making their people follow.
I hope the fatwa on Sania is resolved soon. I also hope it does not have any impact on her career. I hope that she continues to bring laurels to the country.
Please note that my views are based on my comprehensions of descriptions of various events. The views are mine alone and I do not intent to hurt anyone, I apologize if I have hurt a sentiment or feeling.
posted by Arun R @ 1:19 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
hi
nice one mate.....
the people who say these things are jealous and nothing better to do...
hope u had a good time in kerala
Prakash
Extremism in anything is bad. So this is again extremisim in religion. Rules, diktats in religion are all laid by people for their own convenience - so why blame God or religion itself?
I just hope that this doesn't affect Sania psychologically and hamper her game since the clerics have threatened to disrupt her matches as well :-(
@ Prakash:
I did have a great time in Kerala. There's no other place to celebrate Onam other than Kerala, alongwith all your relatives.
@ Ravi:
What disturbs me is that such harsh rules are found only in certain regions/religions.
I am not against anyone, but this kind of fanaticism is uncalled for.
Hi Arun -
I am a practising Muslim and I do not agree with your post.
1. The Fatwa issued in the name of Jamiat-E-Islami was a farce. Refer to Deccan Chronicle, 18 Sept 2005, pg3. They have denied it clearly.
2. In Islam, there is no compulsion - you either follow it or ignore it. The clerics can say what they want but the Qur'an is very clear on this (Ch2 Verse 256)
3. As for the ruling on women, they can go out for work and do other things that men can do, there is no clear instruction that forbids them from doing so. However, traditionalists interpret things according to their own convenience (misquoting etc)
4. In countries like Malaysia and Iran, women have been pilots and vice-presidents
5. If wearing a bikini is liberation and wearing a Burqa is oppression, it is better to be oppressed than liberated.
Hope this clears the confusion. If you are convinced with my explanation, kindly update your post.
why shocked???
i have been anticipating this for long!
and anyway do u seriously expect the mullah's to care anything abt tennis?? they just needed some publicity
cheers
MoC
@ Danesh:
1. I’m not aware of that article. I wrote this post, after I read the footnote on the photograph which appeared on The Hindu on 19th or 20th of this month.
2. I believe this holds true depending on where you stay. As you said, in countries like Iran and Malaysia, there’s no compulsion. But I do not think that’s the case in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.
3. Again there are cases in various countries, where women are not even allowed to venture out of their homes without a male accompanying them. And to add further, I have even heard that during the Taliban regime, women folk had to walk 10 steps behind the men.
4. Very true, in India too, women have the freedom to do things of their choice.
5. I totally disagree with this point. Wearing a bikini or burqua or sari or anything does not make you liberal or oppressed. It’s the fact that you do what you want to do and whenever and wherever you want to do makes one feel liberal or oppressed. Take the case of Imrana, who was asked to marry the man who raped her. Now that is what you call oppressed.
I once again would like to clarify that I am not against any religion or their belief. It’s the way a certain group of people, namely the clerics, who take the name of god and force such actions from their people that I was against. Sania’s case is just another example.
@ MOC:
I was shocked because I could not believe that someone would take this issue up.
It was the first time an Indian woman has scaled such heights in tennis, and all people can think about is her dress!!!
I think Sania should ignore the fatwa. This is a democratic country and she need not heed any extraconstitutional authority except the laws of the land. And I think the government too should send a strong message to these religious fanatics that they cannot brow beat a citizen of this country , even if she is a follower of their religion.
@ Silverine:
I too am of the opinion that she should ignore all this and concentrate on her tennis.
Lets wish her all the best!!!
Arun -
Just to clarify on certain thoughts of yours: "I believe this holds true depending on where you stay..", yes - this is because of that specific culture rather than the religion. Its the way those regional clerics (fanatics) interpret it.
"... during the Taliban regime, women folk had to walk 10 steps behind the men" - this is purely cultural/tribal, not Islamic which is why only Taliban follow it.
Regarding my point on liberation, what I meant was that just because a women has to wear burqa, it does not mean that she is not liberated and vice-versa.
As Silverine has suggested, if the Fatwa is still valid (I maintain the view that it was misquoted or some unauthorized person gave it), there is absolutely no reason to heed it.
There are more important issues like poverty, education and communal harmony to discuss.
@ Danesh:
Danesh, what I wanted to say through the post was how a few narrow minded people were taking the name of religion and doing what is good for them.
I did not want to say anything about any religion or belief, if I have done so in my post, then I apologize.
Some images of Taliban can never be erased from my mind.
I saw a footage of a female being executed, by being shot through her head, at point blank range. That was after the shooter had tortured her enough by hitting her with the butt of his automatic. The bullet passed through her head and hit dirt on the other side.
As you said, there are more important issues to be looked at. You always have an option to ignore things which you feel is unwanted.
@ Danesh:
Lets hope for a better future for the world!!!!
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