Jakarta Globe, Mudassar Shah | September 24, 2010
Ever been curious about what it’s like to wear a burqa? Gulali Ismael, a 24-year-old university student and Muslim women’s rights activist from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, traveled to Afghanistan’s Jalabad market to find out for herself.
 |
| While many Muslim women wear a burqa every day as they go about their errands, 24-year-old Gulali Ismael could only tolerate the enclosing garment for five minutes. |
A burqa is a piece of clothing that covers a woman from head to foot. There is a small opening for the eyes, but the rest of the body, except for the hands, is covered. In some parts of the world, such as Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, it’s essential for Muslim women to wear it outside of the house.
“I think these markets are built for men,” says Gulali as she walks through the bazaar. “I don’t see a lot of women here. I think there should be a lot of women in the market and they should shop for themselves. I see a lot of men are buying for their women, which is very strange to me. Women should buy for themselves because they know what they want to wear and what they need.”
Gulali heads toward the rows of shops selling burqas in the market in Jalabad. “I want to buy a burqa to put myself in the shoes of an Afghan woman. I want to know how they feel when they wear a burqa. Do they feel suffocated or do they feel liberated? So to feel the experience of an Afghan woman, I am here to buy a burqa,” she explains.
The shopkeeper senses that she is a first-time buyer and quotes a high price. “All of them are the same so how can you distinguish one from another?” she asks. After deciding on a high-quality burqa, Gulali tries it on for size. “Oh I cannot see anything. Oh my glasses [are a problem] but my eye sight is weak so how will I walk without glasses?” she asks. “Oh my God, there is no air coming to my nose. Now, you cannot see me but I can see everything. I can see you and people cannot see me.”
Gulali starts to walk through the market in the burqa and says she feels like she is being taught a lesson.
“It feels like I am being punished because I am a woman, I cannot see the floor. It is difficult for me to walk ... It has made my head heavy. I have to look downward and this is a barrier. You know this burqa is limiting me from seeing the world with freedom. I can’t see the things and I feel like people are laughing at me. I am in a burqa but still they are looking at me. Look, it does not make a difference. They are still looking and staring at me,” she says.
Afghan and Pashtun women wear the garment to hide themselves from men’s gazes. Some Islamic scholars argue this is to protect and honor women. Most of the women in the bazaar in the market are wearing burqas. Deewa, a 21-year-old university student, has been wearing the burqa for the last two years.
“I always get a headache in it and I don’t like to wear the burqa but I have to wear it here. Now this is our culture. It was not our culture before but after the Taliban. It has become our culture,” Deewa explains. “If you go around without a burqa then it is unsafe. People stare at you, especially boys because everybody is wearing the burqa.”
“I think people should look at me. I am a human being, and I am someone, and I am passing and if no one notices a human being, I think this is inhuman. You see, men are different. Everyone is different but when all women are wearing burqas then [every woman] is the same,” says Gulali, who lasts only five minutes before deciding to return to the shop.
“I don’t want to wear it any more. Please pack it and I will give it to an Afghan woman in Pakistan. It is difficult for me to wear it. I am feeling like I’m in prison; I want my liberty,” she says.
This article was first broadcast on Asia Calling, a regional current affairs radio program produced by Indonesian radio news agency KBR68H. You can find more stories from Asia Calling at www.asiacalling.org
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.