SHAME AND HOPE

Image Source: Hindustan Times

An incident that took place in Afghanistan last week disturbed me.

A young 27-year old woman named Farkhunda, who was a religious teacher, was falsely accused of burning the Koran following an argument with a mullah. Subsequently, she was beaten to death by an angry (and sick) mob. They beat the poor woman with their fists, stomped on her, pelted her with stones and rocks, thrashed her with a wooden plank, threw her off a roof, and ran a car over her lifeless body. As a climax, they then burnt her body and tossed it over a bridge into a dry river. The worst part was all this happened in the capital city Kabul, in the presence of policemen.

The attackers (all men) were absolutely ruthless and without heart. In the video of the killing, some men can be seen giggling while committing their act. Kids, some as young as 7-8 years can also be seen witnessing the killing like as if it were some form of entertainment. Such a dastardly event made me feel that there was no hope for the human race - even wild animals are capable of better behaviour. And all this for what? God would never approve of such an act.

But what followed afterward made me take notice.

Apparently, there were huge protests in Afghanistan against the murder. The protesters were all women. Traditionally, it is the menfolk who stand as pallbearers while burying the dead. But these women did not allow any man to come forward to carry the body. Instead, they themselves carried the body and buried her with full honour.

This was a perfect example of woman power! I foresee a positive progressive change in Afghanistan due to this event. Hopefully Afghanistan, which is absolute hell for women, will become a better place for women to live in the times to come.

We can only hope for a positive change.