It is that time of the year again where presumably angry women are marching onto the streets, holding provocative slogans like ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’ and rhythmically chanting ‘Azaadi.. Azaadi’. This movement called ‘Aurat Azaadi March’, which initially started in 2018 on International Women's Day has been accused of being anti-Islamic, ruining the family system, an amusement for the ‘elite aunties’ and even to have received funding from the West.
To say that this movement has aggravated the sentiments of the masses would be an understatement. The memory of Khalil-ur-Rehman, a renowned screenwriter, vehemently opposing the Aurat March and verbally abusing a journalist, Marvi Sirmed, on live television still lays fresh in many minds.1 However, to be fair, the opposition has come not only from men but women too. Last year, right-wing students from Jamia organized Haya March in Islamabad and pelted stones at members of the Aurat March.2
Why are women suddenly so angry and what exactly are they to gain from this movement? Why don’t they just lament their sorrows within the vicinity of their homes in a respectful manner? Why are they trying to erode Islamic values by imposing ‘Western feminism’? These are some of the questions loudly raised by the critics of the Aurat March.
A look into the feminist history of Pakistan will tell us that this is not the first time women are marching onto the streets. Even before the partition, women played an active political role in Pakistan’s movement by coming onto the streets and marching alongside men. 3 Then, during the regime of the military dictator, Zia-ul-Haq, women came out on a protest against the patriarchal laws like the Hudood Ordinance that criminalized extra-marital sex and even rape if anyone failed to produce four male witnesses and reducing women’s testimony to half of the men. On 12 February 1983, women as many as 300 mobilized onto the streets to protest against these misogynist laws but this protest was met with violence as tear gas was used to disperse this protest and silence women’s voices.4
Similarly, Aurat March raises issues that are highly relevant in local desi contexts. It is fair to even say that it has adopted an anti-imperial stance as it has heavily critiqued the impact of neoliberal policies as evidenced by the privatization of the healthcare system. This year’s Aurat March Lahore’s manifesto clearly outlines the feminist healthcare proposal plan that aims to include marginalized groups like the
Hazara Shias and the Khwaja Sarra community. 5 Yes, the movement is mainly comprised of middle to upper-middle-class women but it is not fair to say that the movement is ‘elitist’ as it actively advocates for the voices of marginalized persons.
Why then is this movement regarded as ‘Western’ remains a Pandora box waiting to be unraveled. Labeling anything ‘un-Islamic’ or ‘Western’ has a politics behind it that serves nationalist interests. Women’s bodies are used as a tool for advancing these nationalist ends and as Dr. Rubina Saigol wittily put it that when it comes to taking loans from financial institutions like IMF, nobody deems it as ‘Western’ but when it comes to desi feminist movements, everyone is quick to label it as foreign or Western.6 "Why is nationalism written on women’s bodies?", she asks.
"Why is nationalism written on women’s bodies?"
Although the slogan ‘Mera Jism, meri Marzi’ was directly translated from a Western slogan called ‘My Body, My choice’ that was used to advocate for reproductive rights like abortion in the West, that does not mean that the issue of abortion is Western. 7 Sex-selective abortions in Pakistan is so rife that according to data from 2000-2014, 219 pregnancies were terminated daily in Pakistan on the basis of sex and around 90-95% of babies abandoned at birth are girls.8 To label these abortion-related issues as ‘Western’ is not only imprudent but prevents women from obtaining quality healthcare as they carry the burden of their post-colonial identities.
To get various insights regarding this social movement, interview responses were collected from the Habib community.
1) Do you support Aurat March and why?
“Yes I support Aurat March because I think it’s a great... not a mechanism but it’s like a really beneficial movement in making people realize the severity of the situation that women experience in such a patriarchal society where you know sab kehte tou hain ke islam main tumhare yeh yeh huqooq hain (everyone keeps reminding of the rights prescribed by islam) which chalo kehte tou hain (sure they keep reminding us of that) but why don’t you let us exercise them then?”
-Filza Fawad
Social Development & Policy 2024
2) Why do you think Aurat March has faced so much backlash from the Desi community?
“ We associate feminism with westernization and by default, we associate westernization with behayai(vulgarity) and such. It has negative connotations and the journalists as well see the march as a threat to the patriarchal system which they benefit from so they slander the Aurat March and use language that connects with the masses who don’t know any better. So there’s the threat of westernization which they believe is a threat to Islam. Even though Islam advocates for women rights but you’re giving us none of that. “
-Filza Fawad
Social Development & Policy 2024
“We are our own enemy. Here, when a girl experiences something messed up, it is their own family members that force them to stay silent and simply forget about all the hardship and oppression. Why? Usually, it is: “family ka naam kharaab hoga” (the good family name will be disrespected). Here, I feel like Aurat March faces backlash from its own people, in that opposition, exist those who a) actively oppress and are scared of the aftermath and b) those who think that the Pakistani women are ruining the name and image of an ideal Pakistani woman by asking for their basic rights.”
-Anonymous
3) The slogan 'My body, my choice' was used by feminists in the west to advocate for abortion laws. Do you think 'Mera jism meri marzi' is relevant in our Desi context considering Pakistan has reasonably flexible laws regarding abortion?
“I support the slogan “My body, my choice” even if it is used in the Pakistani society regarding abortion laws, I still support it. I support “My body, my choice”, I support “Mera jism, meri marzi” in every context because it’s my freaking body and it’s my freaking choice so yes, even if it is used in terms of abortion laws, I support it. I definitely support it because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Meri body hai tou meri he choice hogi na aur kiski choice hogi? (Since it is my body, who else but me will make choices for it?)”
-Kiran Nayab
Communication & Design 2023
4) Many people have criticized the Aurat March for displaying 'indecent slogans'. Do you think slogans should gain prior approval from the organizers?
“I don’t think the slogans should have to be approved because that’s censorship in a way and I guess that defeats the whole purpose of the march where they are unabashedly bringing the criticisms and flaws experienced within society up into the forefront without anyone censoring them or you know holding them back. “
-Filza Fawad
Social Development & Policy 2024
5) Why do you think Aurat March has been accused of receiving 'western funding' or being ‘western’?
“Even COVID vaccines are said to have “western influence”. So did the cure for polio. I get what this means though. Yes, Aurat March may have taken some level of influence in initiating a platform for the women of Pakistan but that does not mean it’s a product of the West. The agendas here are not the same as there. Here, the fight is for equal status, education, law and order, justice and numerous other things but most importantly the right to walk the streets of our own home, without the fear of judgment or the fear for security.”
-Anonymous
6) Do you see any importance of this social movement in the upcoming decades?
“Obviously the movement has importance. If I look at Pakistani society and the position of women especially, I think there has been a shift. Over the years women are becoming more aware of their rights and I think there has to be a shift in the narrative of people regarding women empowerment and women rights. I think previously, after Zia’s regime, women were pretty restricted and living in a suffocating atmosphere but now I think the society is changing and there has been a shift somehow and yeah, social movements do help. They help people get a better sense of the situation at hand. “
-Kiran Nayab
Communication & Design 2023
“Yes. If such events don’t happen in the future, God helps our daughters and granddaughters of Pakistan.”
-Anonymous
Aurat March is a symbolism of dismantling the desi patriarchal system and labeling it as ‘Western’ or ‘anti-state’ are mere shallow attempts in trying to discredit this movement. Yes, women are angry and they are marching again this time of year to smack patriarchy.
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