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Being a girl myself, I have been a victim of unwanted sexual advances on multiple occasions. I genuinely would not be surprised if the percentage of girls in Pakistan having experienced it at least once in their lives was 100%. It really wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.
The #MeToo movement has spread like wildfire across the globe and it’s amazing to see so many people being able to talk about it. The movement has helped girls, as well as men, get the courage to talk about their experiences without the fear of not being heard or believed (to a large extent at least). It’s a movement, which, I am hoping has made men re-think the meaning of consent and forced them to be wary of their actions.
Basically, the movement has been a huge success by the looks of things and I am especially glad that it has been so popular in a country like Pakistan. However, the louder our voices get, the greater our responsibility. Like I mentioned earlier, I have personally experienced it on countless occasions and I am fully aware that in most situations, it is next to impossible to get evidence against the perpetrator.
I DO understand that. I am NOT saying that a woman shouldn’t be believed just because she doesn’t have any evidence. But I do very strongly believe that every person with a phone and social media accounts does not get to take matters in his/her own hands and get to be the judge. WE DO NOT KNOW HOW OR WHAT THINGS WENT DOWN.
I am mostly talking in the context of accusations against famous figures, like the Meesha Shafi/Ali Zafar controversy. Protests outside cinema halls, trolling on social media and boycotting his film when we DON’T EVEN KNOW is, a tad extreme, doncha think? I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if all the men accused were actually guilty of the crime.
I am quite sure they are BUT I WAS NOT THERE MYSELF, THUS IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO INTERFERE IN THEIR MATTER AND MAKE BOLD STATEMENTS AND DECLARE THEM ALL GUILTY. Especially when the matter was an on-going case in the court. Fighting battles on social media are frivolous and more detrimental to the movement in the larger picture, nothing else.
Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT against showing support and believing the victim. I am against people passing judgments against the alleged assaulter. You can show support and be there for the victim without passing such strong stances as well. Humaari qoum bohat ‘religious’ hai tou bhai, yeh bhi lai aati hoon:
One of the Salaf said: ‘‘If I see someone with alcohol dripping from his beard, then I’ll say perhaps it spilled on him. And if I see him on top of a mountain saying, ‘I am your Lord most high’ then I’ll say he’s reciting an ayah from the Quran.’’ – Ibn al-Qayyim
There are quite a few more points that I would’ve liked to raise here but I know full well how incredibly intolerant our society is to differing views so for the sake of keeping my sanity intact by keeping away the trolls I will leave it at this.
To be clear, I DO understand how incredibly traumatizing the experience can be but let the courts decide the outcome, don’t blame someone when you weren’t there!
