The Girl in Yellow

Enough said and talked about the girl in yellow who dared to propose in public to her university fellow, followed by a hug and an expulsion. There has been a rave of reactions to the incident, mostly cussing and cursing and a few statements of appreciation with respect to love and freedom. The advocacy has been from top class media figures who believe in being daring and pioneers. The swift response of the university management is also notable. They issued a show cause notice to the couple, who decided not to show up and hence the disciplinary committee decree a one-sided expulsion notice to the couple. 

I can understand the hurry of the university, for the incident had not just violated the university rules, religious rules and social rules of the Pakistani society, but had the parents, especially the parents of all girls, sit up in petrified horror. What? Is this what happens in universities? And soon we may have witnessed numerous withdrawals from, not just the said university, but the universities all over Pakistan. I feel that the university should have taken some precautionary steps way ahead. For example, judging by the visuals of the incident, there appears to be no dress code at the university. At least not in implementation. What? Dress code? What about freedom of dressing? Yes, don’t you know? There are dress codes in the West for every place, from offices to parties to beaches. You are not allowed party clothes in the office and not allowed sleeping pajamas at parties and not allowed the judge’s wig and gown at the beach. Going a step even prior, why are there not girl’s universities and boy’s universities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Or at least separate campuses for boys and girls of the same university? Although, a rise in segregated universities will also give rise to the matrimonial business in Pakistan for our aunties rarely like a girl in presence. But that is a story for another time.

What? Segregated universities? First the expulsion, and now this talk about segregated universities? Surely, the Aurat March would pick up new banners against this. For the Aurat March is all about women’s rights and freedom. And the girl in yellow did exactly that. She exercised her Islamic right to choose her marriage partner and she exercised her Aurat March freedom to say it out loud. Now what would the Aurat March do, if the girl was imprisoned for doing so? Surely they would make brand new placards, hosting her picture in duo and shout themselves hoarse demanding her release from prison. Please note that although I may not sound so right now but I am a selective supporter of the Aurat March, for they do have grounds to be marching, but a selective opponent of it as well for some of their unIslamic demands. But what shocked me through and through was when I saw a video of the Karachi Aurat March where the Aafia Movement supporters are trying to join them and are blatantly being refused to join by the Aurat March management! Why? Is Aafia not a woman? Does she not deserve freedom? In fact, she is not very different from the girl in yellow whom the Aurat March would love to support right now. I remember a video of Aafia … she was also wearing yellow and speaking out loud … at a conference in America about the women’s rights in Islam. The memory seems to have an eerie resemblance and resonance to the Aurat March and the girl in yellow today, because she was also standing up for women’s rights, dressed in yellow. But what is haunting is the fact that the Aurat March would discriminate so rashly and stand up for the rights and freedom of one girl in yellow while expelling the rights and freedom of another girl in yellow … for what reason?

Just about now, most of the far rightists of the Pakistani society and bearers of Islam would smirk and say, ‘See what a sham the Aurat March is?’ Tut, tut, they stand up for women’s rights and freedom and at the same dot moment are refusing to stand up for the rights and freedom of a particular woman, Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani and a Muslim. Really? Is that so bad? For I have some breaking news for you. Most of the religious organizations of Pakistan also refuse to speak up for Aafia Siddiqui! Can you believe that? They dodge and evade the topic and when asked point blank, ‘Why do you not speak up for Aafia Siddiqui?’ They say, ‘Ours is a religious, educational and Dawa oriented organization while the case of Aafia is a political issue. Religion and politics cannot be mixed …’ Well, let me remind you, that not so far back, only about twenty years ago, when Islam was on the rise in Islamabad, the refusers would refute by saying, ‘Deen and dunya cannot be mixed …’ to which the Islam bearers would then reply, ‘Islam is a way of life, encompassing all the spheres of life … no exclusion!’ Then what happened post 9/11, that politics was conveniently put outside the sphere of Islam? The case of Aafia Siddiqui is a clear case of a Muslim, female prisoner-of-war in captivity and holds more sanctity than the sanctity of Kabah itself. So if we are done with our tawafs and bashing the girl in yellow, can we now do something for another girl in yellow who has not seen her mother, sister or children in eighteen years ? Do we dare to pioneer her freedom ?

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