Its been two long, draining months but the case of Dua Zahra is still not settling either ways. Is it a case of human trafficking or court marriage ? There is heavy evidence on both scales. And there are heavy emotions on both sides as well, making the case not only difficult to solve but difficult to talk about in itself.
Trailing the version of court marriage, the fact that she stepped out of her home with zero cash, hailed a taxi driver, in Karachi, and asked him to drop her off, in Lahore, the fact that she travelled alone with an unknown driver for a couple of days and no check post in between Karachi and Lahore stopped them and inquired anything at all from them, the fact that she did not have Zaheer’s phone number and that Zaheer had no idea that she was leaving home for him, the fact that she finally surfaced in Lahore and contacted Zaheer through an associate and then ended up in his family home, and the family simply accepted her … add up to a really unbelievable story.
Trailing the version of human trafficking, the fact that soon after Dua records a video message announcing that she left her home by her free will to marry Zaheer, the fact that she assured the world that she was happy with her husband and that nobody should disturb her married life, the fact that she is seen merrily celebrating a birthday party with Zaheer in a video upload, the fact that she gives an interview to a Youtuber and explicitly once again owns her marriage to Zaheer … add up to a doubtful story of abduction and forced marriage or human trafficking.
I still cannot make up my mind either ways but to be fair, let us first suppose that it is a case of abduction and human trafficking. Why would Dua give false testimonies ? The only reason could be that she is under threat. It is possible that she used to play online games with Zaheer, with or without knowing that it’s a boy, and he may be having some pictures or videos of her by which they are blackmailing her. Or she is under threat of torture and death while in captivity. Honestly speaking, the very first video appearance that Dua made, her eyes looked drugged. If we compare her former pictures to her latter pictures, her eyes now look haunted and drugged. The first speech that she made was so perfectly worded and so technically worded that it seemed wholly scripted.
So what should Dua do now ? She should be as bold as she is beautiful. She should kill her fear of every kind of threat she is facing and make a loud and truthful statement somehow, anyhow. Life and death is in Allah’s Hands. If life is written for her, she will cross this terrible trauma and live through it. A few days ago, someone mentioned an Indian movie which narrates the story of Gangu Bai, a real pre-partition character, a teenage girl, a lawyer’s daughter, who ends up in brothel. I asked, ‘Its one thing to tie up and gag a person, but how can somebody be forced to live a certain life ?’ They replied that, ‘By threatening you with life, hunger and loss of everything dear to you !’ The following holy verse flashed through my mind …
‘ Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and life and the fruits of your efforts, so give tidings of happiness to those who remain patient !’ [The Holy Quran, Al’Baqarah, V.155]
Allah’o Akbar ! Indeed, the trials are great ! Dua, have faith in Allah Almighty and risk death to return to life !
And now lets look at the other possibility. Did Dua really leave home of her own free will to escape a forced marriage ? The question is, if abduction and forced marriages are a crime, what is our stance on forced marriages by parents and the family ? Is it halal ? Ironically, a majority of our religious and semi-religious people believe it to be halal whereas it is not. It is absolutely haram to marry a boy or a girl against their consent and free will and choice. But this is a norm and common practice in our society which no one thinks about or dares to challenge. A woman came up to Prophet Muhammed SAW and complained that her father had given her in marriage against her will, so Prophet Muhammed SAW cancelled the Nikah. If such a marriage was halal, would Prophet Muhammed SAW have done so ? On the other hand, love marriages are considered a taboo in our so-called Islamic society. Prophet Muhammed SAW’s own marriage to Syedna Khadijah RA was a love marriage and that too initiated by the woman ! And Prophet Muhammed SAW is reported to have said that there is no better thing than a Nikah for a boy and girl in love !!! Does it ring a bell ?
Whenever, wherever, a girl runs away for court marriage, the parents need to question themselves … is it our doing ? Were we forcing our daughter into some other marriage ? Were we disallowing her a marriage of her choice without a good reason ? When I was studying in madrassah, I questioned many girls as to why they chose to study at the madrassah, away from their homes for so many years. The totally unexpected and absolutely shocking reply I got was to escape forced marriages at home ! Can you believe it ? Sadly, some Youtubers are slandering Dua by calling her ‘Na farman beti’ meaning, the disobedient daughter, a great insult by Islam. Excuse Islam, but Islam does not consider choosing your life partner a disobedience. Marital choice is the right of every Muslim boy and girl, endorsed by Islam itself. Next comes the issue of the age, for the eligibility for Nikah. By the Pakistani law, the eligible age for Nikah is eighteen, or sixteen in some areas. What about Islam ? By Islam, the eligibility for Nikah is puberty, not any age figure. Once a boy or a girl reach puberty, they are eligible for Nikah. Why does the Pakistani law abrogate an Islamic law ?
Lastly, and most importantly, should a girl get stuck in a situation where her parents are forcing her into a marriage, what should she do ? Check ! Can you talk to some family member ? Can you talk to your parent’s besties ? Can you talk to the mosque Imam ? Can you post for help on the Citizen’s Portal ? Dua, if you really left home of your own free will, should you not have left at least a letter for your parents to explain the situation, so that they would not have called the police ? Can you imagine the torture your parents went through all the while you were missing till they heard about you in Lahore. Then the second part of the torture starts. You are refusing to meet or talk to your parents. How heart wrenching ! Then the third part of the torture starts. You are publically showing off having a great time with your newly wedded husband. How embarrassing ! Was it necessary to be all so lovey dovey over a birthday cake ? It leaves only a little difference between you and Amir Liaqat. He was filming romance with his latest wife on the social media to tease his former wives. You were being all chummy with your husband to tease who … your parents ? And the worst of all was when you and Zaheer made victory signs in your first interview together. That was heart breaking ! Even if your parents had been forcing you into another forced marriage, and you ran away from that marriage and managed to marry of your own choice, is it necessary to rub it in and humiliate them in public by demonstrating your victory ?
And how does all this relate to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui ? Well, for all those on the roads protesting for the possible abduction of Dua Zahra, this is a reminder that another daughter of Pakistan had been abducted by America and languishes in the American prisons for the past nineteen years. She deserves the attention of entire Pakistan too. Prayers for Dua Zahra !
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