Back in time girls were bound in chains, had no permission to step out of their homes, had a selected group with which they could communicate and share their lives. But, in today’s world where girls have reached the skies, thinking of the same amounts to mind boggling. But yes, it is true for the Sindhi girls. Girls of the Sindhi community will no longer be able to carry mobiles, ride no two wheelers, or be permitted to cover their faces with scarves. The fatwa issued by the leaders of the Sindhi community in Bhopal as a warning signal for all the girls of the community comes after a Sindhi girl married a Muslim boy. Now, the so called leaders of the community will decide how much freedom their daughters should have.
But, the fatwa has enraged a lot many parents especially from the cosmopolitan society. Because in today’s fast advancing world, not many would like to keep their girls bound. Few even feel that not giving freedom to the girls would amount to their doing such things secretly. This might create a gap between the parents and their daughters and hamper their relation.
One of the parent said,
It’s ridiculous. I understand there are conservative elements in each community but I don’t think that India or the world should bother about such people.
Most of the Sindhi’s feel that such ‘panchayats’ are best be ignored since that they have no right to impose rules and regulation on anyone. Most of them believe that such fatwas are only tarnishing the image of a progressive community.
Even the women’s commission has condemned the decision.
On the other hand, the ‘panchayat’ justifies fatwa as a ‘rightful step’, because it fears many more inter-religious marriages could take place in the Sindhi society and feel that it is the only way such actions could be checked.
It is unbelievable that in today’s fast advancing world, religious and cast sectarianism still rules the roost. Marriage is the union of two souls. And it joins not only two families in tight bonds, but also two communities (if it is inter caste or inter religious). The kind of communalism going on is completely bizarre. Such religious dogmas must be curbed if we want our girls to rise high and manage themselves. Let us show such hypocrites that girls are no less than boys.
via: IBN
