Shame

In the novel Shame by Salman Rushdie the main character Sufiya Zinobia represents the second-class status of women in the nation. Bringing shame to her family simply by being born, Sufiya’s struggle as a girl and women bring to light the misogynistic nature of a Pakistani society where the word woman has many negative connotations such as weakling, shameful, and foolish (Rushdie, 58). Sufiya is supposed to be a representation of all of the terrible attitudes about women and the violent and humiliating actions taken out against them and of the women’s response to their plight. As Pakistan tries to establish itself as a country and a people the women in the nation experience the same problem that plagues many cultures after they attain their freedom: “Men and women experience national liberation differently…women do not reap equal benefits from decolonization for reasons of gender inequality” (McLeod, 137). In this type of society nothing that Sufiya could do in her life would make her anything but a disappointment and the traditional role of a Pakistani woman does not allow her the same opportunities afforded to men. The women of Pakistan carry the burden of internalized misogynistic self-hate yet also realize that the system and culture are wrong and have the extra burden of feeling shame for their nation as well as themselves. Sufiya’s blushing represents this sentiment well: “Sufiya Zinobia Hyder blushed uncontrollably whenever her presence in the world was noted by others. But she also, I believe, blushed for the world too” (Rushdie, 124). Sufiya’s life gives the whole world a view into Pakistani society’s treatment of woman and her plight does indeed bring shame to the nation.

This video clip is from Al Jazeera English, a news station based in Qatar that provides its audience with a non-Western perspective on global events and often features human rights stories such as the one presented above. I consider their reporting to be fairly unbiased so long as the story is not about the Qatari government and feel that they are able to criticize unjust cultural practices and injustices in other Middle Eastern and Islamic countries where I as a white American cannot. I will let the video speak for itself in showing how women in Pakistan still face institutionalized oppression from the male-dominated government and tribal authorities. It is clear that women have made social, economic, and political advancements in recent years but the second-class status of women as shown in Shame is still the daily reality for the majority of women in Pakistan.

Acid attack victim Fakhra Yunus

I had heard of acid attacks used by men in Pakistan to disfigure and shame their wives, daughters, and other relatives but before I did some reading on the topic for this blog post had no idea of how shockingly common the practice has become. It was both saddening and infuriating to scroll through the pages upon pages of pictures of women who had been assaulted in this manner. In the eyes of the men who commit these atrocities a woman without beauty has no value or redeeming qualities whatsoever and by disfiguring her he has successfully dehumanized her to her community.