What is wrong with “Mera Jism, Meri Marzi?”
“Mera Jism, Meri Marzi” (My body, My choice)
This controversial slogan has been in discussions and news for the last few days owing to some infamous remarks made by a famous Pakistani writer on national television. Mainstream media is thoroughly stuffed with both feminist and anti-feminist narratives. Like always, everyone is contributing to this new trend by liking, commenting, and sharing related content as per their mentality. The forthcoming Aurat March has already entertained the whole nation and diverted their minds from coronavirus and PSL for a while. However, amongst us, there are many who are seriously lamenting over what happened in that talk show and thinking about the repercussions of that incident. What I have observed in the whole story is that most of the members of our society are totally incognizant of the meaning and objective of this slogan. Its history and implications must be comprehended before making any opinion. Here, the famous cliche — Don’t listen to reply; listen to understand — perfectly suits the Pakistani society.
I am even surprised to see that besides the critiques, many proponents of feminism and like-minded intellectuals on social media are also misusing the feminist slogans, knowingly or unknowingly, to spread discontent in the society. In my opinion, the aforementioned slogan also has some structural flaws that make it vague and controversial.
A few years back, Amnesty International promoted the catchphrase, “My Body, My Rights,” to spread awareness about the bodily rights of women. It was a powerful expression that depicted that all human beings are essentially equal and possess the same right to their body. The slogan manifested a confrontational attitude from the women’s side as they have historically remained a target of sexual oppression. The slogan gained popularity around the world owing to its succinctness and brevity; it gives a clear indication that no one can either force the women to have sex with them or coerce them to conceive a baby without their consent. It is to make the men realize that it’s the women’s body, let her decide whether she wants to sleep with you or not. Give her the liberty to use contraceptive measures if she is not yet prepared for a child. The man should convince her with love and respect, not with physical or economic strength. The scope and popularity of this campaign further extended with time. Now it covers a wide range of subjects as domestic violence, physical abuse, patriarchy, sexism, misogyny, and even the bodily rights of queers.
Now, what is going on in Pakistan? Feminism in Pakistan has remained controversial from the very beginning owing to certain reasons. The proactiveness of the Islamic lobby, social backwardness, patriarchal traditions, economic deprivation, and anti-western inclination always compelled the masses to respond negatively against the narratives of feminism. On the other hand, a majority of women’s rights activists in Pakistan are educated and trained in western countries and they want to apply the same ideals in Pakistani society. They seek inspiration from western feminists and consider that their methods would exactly fit into Pakistani society. Resultantly, this transplantation of alien culture is not bearing any fruit in Pakistan. It is ironic that the voices in favor of the rights of poor Pakistani women always come from hi-fi, executive madames who can never understand the intricacies of the former’s life. Those who are trying to see the culture and structure of Pakistani society through western literature can never provide an ample solution to the plight of Pakistani women. Our young feminists are of a more antagonistic nature. They are all coming from well off families who have no idea how life in a rural or feudal society works like. They just want a quick change.
Furthermore, greater blame goes to corporates and business elites who exploit the cause of feminism for economic gain. This is how the world economic order works, profit-making and perpetual competition compel the stakeholders to utilize every means at their disposal to generate more revenue. In the corporate culture, exploitation of sentimental values and national issues is a commonplace. The public is blatantly deceived on the basis of nationalism, religion, honor, aspirations, or fear because the corporates just want to promote their business and sell their products. The issue of women empowerment gives a perfect opportunity to a number of industries that see women as mere consumers. They are never interested in empowering women. For them, promoting feminism is a part of their business.
Coming back to the slogan, it is an inappropriate choice of words by the Pakistani feminists who translated the word rights in the context of choice and made it more provocative. I repeat my proposition that most of the young feminists are not familiar with the cultural norms of Pakistani society. They have lesser respect for values and traditions. These passionate young ladies impulsively promote objectionable material to get immediate attention. That is what they did in the last Aurat March. The slogans displayed on the placards were not only obscene but also pathetic. The slogan under discussion is just one of the examples. If this slogan had been “Mera Jism, Meray Huqooq,” the reaction would have been totally different. And it is not only about this single slogan. Pakistani society is not so intolerant. It was a whole plethora of such slogans that outraged the whole society. The choice of words and modus operandi matter a lot. These need to be wisely chosen. Now, our feminists need to set some rules. They need to understand that they can also achieve their goal without attacking the settled beliefs of society.
Nonetheless, feminism is never a hoax or trivial movement that may be simply ignored. It is a mass movement that has spread across the world and is becoming more confrontational day by day. We are living in the era of the fourth wave of feminism. Information and Communication Technology is the biggest weapon in the hands of every revolutionary movement. No one can get an escape from these narratives. No one can now silence these voices. The best we can do is find a way to deal with them. It is true that women face discrimination and oppression at various levels of our society. It is true that some of them are victims of a denial of bodily rights. It is a fact that practices like child marriages, forced pregnancies, prenatal sex selection, sexual abuse, virginity testing and so forth are still prevalent in our society. Now the whole society needs to take these issues seriously. We need a cultural and structural reform in our society. This ongoing movement of feminism is simply a reaction to what society has historically done to women. To counter this reaction, we need to mend our actions first. On the other hand, those who are fighting for the rights of women must clearly identify the problems of women and then continue their struggle living within the limits of social ethics. We must behave like a civilized society where men and women complement each other. A society where no one faces discrimination on the basis of looks, sex, and gender. A society where women live with honor and freedom. That society will be a commendable social and cultural achievement. Just as Charles Fourier said — “The extension of women's rights is the basic principle of all social progress.”
