Gender Studies

Lecture 8

PART IX. Case Studies

Mukhtaran Mai

Mallala Yousaf Zai

Shermin Ubaid Chinoy

Malala Yousufzai

Malala Yousufzai

• Malala Yousafzai was born in 1997 in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. She lived in the region’s largest town, Mingora, until a Taliban activist shot her in the head on October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen years old. She was then airlifted to a hospital in Peshawar and from there transferred to the United Kingdom where she could receive specialized medical treatment. Malala and her family remain in England till today, making Birmingham their home – at least for the time being

Problems Malala faced

• The problem for Malala (and thousands of others) was the discrimination she faced for being a girl, particularly in the area of education
• When the Taliban took hold of Swat in late 2007, militant Islamism began to creep into the region. For Malala, this culminated in the edict issued by the Taliban that all girls were henceforth forbidden from going to school.
• The ban on education was inconceivable to Malala, who was raised in an academic environment.
• “For my brothers it was easy to think about the future . . . They can be anything they want. But for me [as a girl] it was hard and for that reason I wanted to become educated and empower myself with knowledge”

Malala’s Approach towards the problems

• Malala refused to give in to the Taliban and decided – quite bravely – to speak out against their edict
• Malala understood that “education was a threat to [the Taliban] because it gives you the power to question things, the power to challenge things, the power to be independent.”
• Remarkably, at eleven years old, Malala chose bravery over cowardice and sealed her place in history as a result
• A journalist for the BBC World News Service asked her to keep a diary of her experiences, and these were subsequently published on the BBC’s website.
• Through her writings, Malala gave the struggle for girls’ education a human form and voice. Malala’s diary was an incredibly powerful medium for drawing both attention to and sympathy for the cause of female education in Pakistan.
• The Taliban were finally defeated by Pakistani government forces in 2009, and in the wake of their defeat Malala grew bolder. She wrote articles for Pakistani newspapers in which she openly campaigned for girls’ equal right to education, and she also began speaking out in public.

Outcome of the stand Malala took

• On October 9, 2012, when she was just fifteen years old, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban activist as she sat in a bus on her way home from school
• After shooting her, the Taliban issued a statement which said that they were targeting Malala specifically because “she has become a symbol of Western culture in the area; she [is] openly propagating it”
• By openly telling her story, Malala had long since captured people’s imagination and won sympathy for her campaign on a much wider scale. Overnight, Malala became a symbol of something much bigger than the plight of girls in Pakistan.
• In an ironic twist, by shooting her in the head, the Taliban had inadvertently turned Malala into a celebrated champion for girls’ education all over the world.

Malala’s impact

• “I want education for the sons and daughters of all the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me”
• In 2014, Malala (17 at the time) became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”
• Today Malala continues to advocate for female education through her organization, the Malala Fund, which “through education, empowers girls to achieve their potential and become confident and strong leaders in their own countries”

The Critique on Malala

• She is considered a darling of the Western media who is being used to portray a wrong image of Pakistan as violent and an anti women society
• People believe that there is nothing special about Malala, many children in Pakistan suffer worse fates than her.
• It is also belived that she hasn’t done anything for Pakistan. If she really cared for the country she would have stayed here only
• Some also believe that her shooting was staged

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The Malala Fund

• The Fund oversees several programs in Pakistan
• Education to girls who were previously domestic labourers
• Education programs for children fleeing conflict
• Repairing classrooms, providing school supplies to girls’ schools
• Announced $10 m initiative to invest in local education advocacy programs
• Condemned American drone strikes, Israel bombings and atrocities in Kashmir

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Why has Malala become such a polarized figure?

• In Western contexts, such anti-Malala sentiments are read as representing the pre-modern sensibilities of Pakistanis. Any critique of Malala is presumed to be a critique of human rights, and since human rights are the dominant vocabulary for justice at the current moment, expressing discomfort about Malala, ironically, automatically signals an anti-women’s rights disposition.
• Malala is represented as the girl who defied the cultural logics operative in Pakistan, and who now embodies a transnational, secular modernity exemplified by her emphasis on the autonomous self, enactment of choice, advocacy for freedom and arguments for gender equality. Instead of being a symbol of the courage of Muslims and Pakistanis to stand up against violence, Malala is shown to be an exception.
• Malala as an idea, thus, sustains assumptions about Muslims and Pakistanis that are deeply hurtful. It transforms all Pakistani, Muslim men into terrorists and all Muslim women as victims or potential victims. Malala is distanced from other Muslim girls.

Why has Malala become such a polarized figure?

• It is important to note, however, that this representation of Malala erases the moments where she herself highlights her radical specificity as a Muslim and as a Pakistani, and her anti-colonial and anti-imperial stances.
• In her book, I am Malala, we come face to face with vibrant cultures and societies, an abundance of strong-willed women, and kind, thoughtful men
• Malala has, thus, used her stature for those who are pushed to the edges by global capital, state violence, Islamophobia, and racism. In doing so, she has shown remarkable grace, tact, and acute knowledge of local customs and global politics. Hence, any critique of Malala must make the distinction between Malala the person and how she is represented in Anglophone media cultures.

Mukhtaran Mai

Mukhtaran Mai

• Mukhtar Mai, also known as Mukhtaran Bibi, was a victim of gang rape in Meerawala,Pakistan. Her plight brought international attention to the role of customary laws in the oppression of women in Pakistan. Mai has since become a spokesperson for women who have been victimized in the name of tradition, honor, propriety, or religion
• In June 2002, Mai was sentenced to gang rape by a tribal council of elders inMeerawala, which is located in the province of Punjab. The gang rape was retributive justice for alleged sexual advances by her 12-year-old brother, Shaqoor, toward awoman from a more powerful clan
• Such cases are not unique in the deeplypatriarchal societies within south Asia, where clan-based feuds frequently are foughtusing women's bodies.

Mai’s Response

• Instead of committing suicide, which has been the course of action for many women who have faced such dishonor, Mai filed a police report against the Mastoi men
• It generally has been difficult for women in Pakistan to obtain justice in such situations because of a variety of limits and burdens placed on them by the Pakistani legal system. The Hudood Laws, in particular, require women to provide the testimony of four adult male eyewitnesses who have witnessed the act of penetration.
• Additionally, although the law makes a distinction between rape and adultery, if a woman who seeks to convict her rapist(s) is unable to provide witnesses, she herself can instead be charged for fornication or adultery

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Trial and Aftermath

• Mai's case went to trial at the antiterrorism court at Dera Ghazi Khan, and six men (four of whom raped her; the others abetted the crime) were sentenced to death by hanging. Another eight men, who sat on the tribal council, were acquitted.
• Mai filed an appeal with the Lahore High Court against the acquittal. Her plight immediately received media attention in Pakistan.
• By July, international media outlets such as the New York Times and the British Broadcasting Corporation had picked up the story. A local Muslim leader from Mai's village condemned the tribal council's ruling as un-Islamic, and the Pakistan Human Rights Commission demanded a full investigation
• Mai received compensation from the Pakistani government of $8,300, which she used to start a school for girls, Mukhtara Mai's Girls Model School, in her village

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Trial and Aftermath

• In March 2005, the Lahore High Court overturned the death verdict of the convicts and released five of the six men citing various shortcomings in the prosecution’s case, the lack of evidence, and contradictory testimony from witnesses.
• The government of Pakistan, however, came under intense international scrutiny after the release and, as a result, appealed the decision of acquittal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan
• The Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan, which is the country's highest Islamic court, ruled that the Lahore High Court did not have jurisdiction in this matter and that the case should be tried under the Hudood Laws. The Federal Shariat Court ordered the arrest of the men who had been released as well as six additional men from the tribal council
• In June 2005, the Lahore High Court ordered the release of all 12 men on payment of a bond, stating that there were no grounds for their detention. The government of Pakistan again came under intense international pressure, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry noted that the court would re-examine the evidence in the case

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International Attention

• With the help of additional international aid, Mai went on to establish the Mukhtar Mai Women's Organization, which includes a women's resource center and shelter home, and undertakes advocacy campaigns. 
• In 2007, she received the Council of Europe North-South Prize, which seeks to honor the recipient's work in the advancement of human rights and in strengthening north-south relations. 
• Mai's case, which had been pending since 2005, was finally re-opened by the Supreme Court in January 2011. In April 2011, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict of the Lahore High Court and acquitted all but one of the defendants. The lone man convicted, Abdul Khaliq, received a sentence of life imprisonment

Structural Reasons

• Women are more easily victimised and brutalised than men, most particularly in a patriarchal. Mukhtaran, a divorced woman, might have seemed even more vulnerable – not merely because she was without the protection of a husband, but because a divorced woman is often times viewed as a woman of loose morals. The burden of keeping ‘moral’ standards falls most heavily upon women.
• The village elders also acted as they did for the same reason that informs the actions of men who, when they wish to convey a message to other men, choose to use bodies of women as the medium through which they throw a challenge to other men. One of the many ways in which men seek to inflict defeat upon their opponents in war is to scar and assault their women.

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Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

• Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is the first Pakistani female filmmaker to receive an Oscar, for her film Saving Face. However, because the film focuses on a negative aspect of Pakistani society and went on to be featured internationally its fame was thought of in Pakistan as somewhat tainted
• The success of her films can be understood by how they have resulted in and depicted, the Pakistani government taking active steps to combat these violent acts by making amendments to their laws
• In Saving Face, towards the end of the film a bill is passed which allows criminals to be sentenced to life imprisonment for the act of throwing acid on another human being; previously the punishment was not as severe. This enabled the husband of one of the protagonists, Zakia, to be sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for this crime.
• After the release of A Girl in the River, the prime minister held the first screening of the movie at the PM house and also made reforms in the law. Those convicted of honor killings are now not able to be forgiven by the victim’s family, whereas at the time the film was made its protagonist, Saba, had to forgive her father and uncle in the end, and so they walked away free men

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

• Another lesson that is common in Obaid-Chinoy’s documentaries has to do with women’s empowerment, particularly women empowering other women
• Apart from the direct motive of reporting female violence, Obaid-Chinoy incorporates instances in the films where women such as nurses, lawyers, parliament members support the victim.
• On the other hand, there is also an instance of woman to woman violence. Despite women being the most understanding of one another throughout the film, Obaid-Chinoy highlights the aspect of female-on-female violence as well. It may evoke guilt among some and sends an encouraging message to understand the female’s plight and turn to support them stressing the need to curtail such acts

Pastpapers

• Discuss the background of the two Oscar winning documentaries by Sharmeen Obaid (2020)
• Explain the structural and direct forms of violence against women in the Pakistani society by highlighting the case study of Mukhtaran Mai (2019)

Paper Attempting Techniques

Paper Attempting Techniques

• MCQs get repeated. Try to attempt them at least once, but do it right before the exam so you can remember them
• Choose your questions to be attempted first, then start attempting
• Use the 15 min before the exam starts to draw margins on all pages of your answer booklet
• Make outlines for answers, helps save time (either do it before your answer on the answer booklet, or it can also be a rough outline)
• Use black and blue color pen only. Black for headings and blue for the main content
• To make answer more presentable, ensure the difference in sizes of the headings (Main heading should be larger than the subheadings)
• Incorporate tables and flowcharts in your answers to make them more visually appealing

Paper Attempting Techniques

• Quality over quantity always
• Moderate size handwriting
• Prioritize time management (Don’t over emphasize any one question)
• Order of attempting questions
• Highlight references with different colored pen (black)
• Use moderate and simple English.
• Understand what the question is asking for. Don’t write everything that you know
• Don’t spend all the twenty minutes on the MCQs
• Try to proofread your exam in the end

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