By: Dr. Mohammad Aleem, Editor-ICN Group
NEW DELHI: This is the age of utter competitiveness. We have to struggle hard to make our existence felt and meaningful at every level. Challenges of life are huge and disturbing. These problems are not only for men, but our women also. We can’t say that our men are fully equipped enough to tackle with every kind of problem in their lives alone.
Empowerment and strength, either external or internal, come only through good and quality education. Only knowledge can bring human out of the shell of darkness of ignorance. And every kind of ignorance, either worldly or spiritual, gets removed only through the best education, both at worldly and religious level. One can’t claim to be human in true sense until he or she has the life bedecked with spirituality.
So, this argument brings us to this simple conclusion that as food is required to sustain our physical life, education with true enlightenment is also needed for a contented life.
With the gust of modernism, fortunately, most part of the world has recognized the strength of our women also. They have successfully established themselves in every field of life.
But we can’t claim that we have succeeded in empowering the entire half population of the globe in true sense. How on earth can we claim despite this fact that still one third of the human population is deprived of education and enlightenment of life? The countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Bangladesh, Nepal and Burma and scores of other African states are far behind on this scale. They are still stuck deep in poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.
Still, we hear stories of death due to starvation, killing in the name of dowry and innumerable other such social issues and evils.
Naturally, the governments concerned are to be blamed for this apathy and disaster. Those people are responsible also who are capable of doing that but are not doing their best to bring some real changes in the painful lives of deprived population.
The influential and rich people of every community should come forward to fight with this menace. If they don’t do that, they will be held responsible for the sufferings of the millions and millions of people on the globe.
Muslim women are coming forward, but we can’t say that all our female population has been empowered. There are a great number, who are illiterate, socially outcast and morally degraded. They are facing harassment at every level. They are not free to choose their profession as they desire best for themselves. In many homes, they are still fettered and forced to live like a cattle.
Despite of all such failings, there is hope and scope to improve. Our institutions, at this instance, can play a great role and present itself as a great tool of change.
Islam, as an enlightened religion has always emphasized on the importance of education, both for men and women. One can’t claim to be an enlightened Muslim until he or she has the true knowledge of Islam. How can one claim to be a good Muslim until he or she has read the holy Quran and Hadith with meaning and its right contexts? This is the religion based on the divine book and great insight.
Let’s take a pledge that we will do our best to make our women a fully civilized and enlightened lot. We will fight against illiteracy, ignorance and bigotry forcefully.
