Blatant Islamophobia
Repeated acts of Islamophobia in Europe over the past few days vividly illustrate the fact that the continent has a serious problem as anti-Muslim hatemongers insult the symbols and figures held dear by over 1.5bn people across the world.
The latest outrage occurred outside a mosque in Denmark on Friday, perpetrated by Rasmus Paludan, a provocative far-right figure with a history of spewing anti-Muslim hate. This individual burnt a copy of the Holy Quran, a vile act he had also committed a few days earlier outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden.
In yet another recent incident, an individual who heads the Dutch chapter of Pegida, a German neofascist outfit, desecrated the Holy Book in the Netherlands. For Paludan, meanwhile, the ‘justification’ for the outrage was Turkey’s objections over Sweden and Finland’s admission to Nato. However, the true intentions appear to be to insult Islam and its sacred symbols. This is, unfortunately, not the first time Islamic symbols have been targeted in a hateful way in Europe, as the blasphemous caricatures and Charlie Hebdo episodes show.
The response by most European leaders and civil society is that while the acts are condemnable, the principle of free speech prevents them from acting against the perpetrators. This position holds no water. Firstly, Europe has a history of anti-Islamic sentiment. For example, much of European literature during the Middle Ages was full of grotesque Islamophobic content. In the modern world, it seems that the same prejudices of Christian Europe have clearly seeped into secular Europe.
Moreover, Europeans themselves have proved that free speech is not absolute, as the Holocaust-denial laws show. If raising questions about a historical event can result in fines and jail terms on the continent, then surely those who attack the religious symbols of Islam, and indeed all faiths, must be made to face penalties. It is also true that by attacking Islamic symbols, extremists seek to legitimise violence and hate crimes against Muslims.
As opposed to the questionable European approach, some in the West are striving to build bridges. For example, the Canadian government has just named its first adviser to combat Islamophobia. The welcome move proves that Islamophobia is not just an abstract concept, but a violent reality millions of Muslims the world over face. It is this very violence that rightist hatemongers in Europe and elsewhere are seeking to normalise by attacking Islamic symbols.
There should be a serious debate in Europe about Islamophobic hate crimes, such as the Quran-burning stunts, and legal action is required to prevent further such outrages. It is also a fact that Muslim extremists and terrorist outfits are emboldened by these hateful acts. Europe needs to counter this rampant Islamophobia, instead of shielding these mediaeval prejudices under the guise of free speech.
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2023
Modern slavery
MODERN slavery is a wide-ranging term that can encompass a multitude of scenarios. Common to all of them, however, is exploitation — whether for financial or personal gain — and exertion of control. According to a new UN report, women continue to comprise the largest component of trafficking victims in South Asia. In the patriarchal cultures found across this region, marriage can be a stifling and disempowering experience, and social mores create a conducive setting for the kind of exploitation that can be defined as modern slavery. Those who have been brought up in such a culture often cling to its values even when they move to the West, especially when the power differential between genders favours them. An extreme case of modern slavery involving Pakistanis in the US saw three individuals sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 12 years for having subjected a woman, also from Pakistan, to forced labour for 12 years. They were also ordered to pay her $250,000 in restitution for back wages and other financial losses the victim had sustained on account of their criminal conduct.
The details are horrific. The woman’s ordeal was perpetrated by her in-laws, who subjected her to physical violence and emotional abuse while forcing her into domestic slavery and keeping her cruelly deprived of basic comforts. They even separated her from her children and brainwashed them against her. So profound was the toll on the victim that she was twice driven to attempt suicide and her brother, when he finally saw her after 12 years, found her physically unrecognisable. Situations such as these abound in Pakistan; often, one only learns of them when the violence goes too far and takes the victim’s life. Domestic violence is still considered a private matter to be resolved quietly. The stigma of divorce remains such that many abused women’s parents tend to counsel forbearance, which exposes the victim to continued risk of harm. It does not help that the implementation of provincial domestic laws remains weak, reducing the legislation to little more than words on paper. There is also a dearth of shelter homes for women who want to leave abusive marriages but whose parents cannot or will not take them in. Only when legal systems work to protect women, as in the case mentioned above, do perpetrators get the punishment they deserve.
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2023
Remarkable Sania
BRINGING to a close a career in which she smashed stereotypes, Sania Mirza delivered almost the perfect ending in her final Grand Slam appearance. The mixed doubles final at the Australian Open was going to be her last game at a tennis major. In an intriguing twist, she was alongside Rohan Bopanna; her first playing partner. But a farewell seventh Grand Slam title eluded Sania as she and Bopanna went down to Brazilians Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos. The 36-year-old, not only India’s but South Asia’s most successful tennis player, is due to retire after next month’s Dubai Open. Dubai is where Sania resides after her marriage to Pakistan cricket star Shoaib Malik. So it will be at home where she swings her racquet for the last time. It was at the Australian Open 18 years ago when she made her maiden Grand Slam appearance, beaten by Serena Williams in the third round of the singles contest. Early in her career, she’d already become the most successful woman player in India’s tennis history, and even when an injury cut short her singles career, she fought on. Sania became an accomplished doubles player, winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2009 Australian Open alongside compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi. She would go on to win the mixed doubles titles at the French Open in 2012, and the US Open in 2014, before teaming up with the legendary Martina Hingis of Switzerland to win the women’s doubles titles at Wimbledon and US Open in 2015 and the Australian Open the following year. Four years after becoming a mother, she came within touching distance of winning another.
Sania may not be leaving on a winning high, but she’s a champion in every right. In a society where she, like other woman athletes, frequently faced obstacles, she rose to great heights to inspire women from across the region. The whole of South Asia will miss her on-court presence.
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2023