Muslim Women by Rabindranath Tagore

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Society
Muslim Women*
by Rabindranath Tagore

An English lady living in Turkey has described the sad plight of Muslim women. Without enough evidence in its support it is not easy to believe what she has written. It is more so because these women spend their lives in seclusion and any evidence in regard to them is very difficult to come by. But we can form an idea by comparing their condition with the condition of women of our own society.

According to this writer when she was talking with two women suddenly they hid themselves – one under a cot and another behind an almirah. This was because a brother of their husbands had appeared at the door. This kind of thing happens also in our country when a married woman finds herself in presence of her bhasur or the elder brother of her husband. The Muslim gentlemen of our time usually defend this by saying that none keeps his valuable treasures exposed to public view on the open road. They need to be kept carefully hidden away from sunlight to preserve their shine.

In our country also similar things are said by those who are experts in debate. They quote from scriptures as well as poets to prove that what are cited as breach of human rights are examples to show how we treat our women as goddesses. But these are mere empty words and prove nothing. The unfortunate woman has been born with human cravings normal in a human being. Can her hunger and thirst be satisfied if she is fed only with dry scriptural paeans? She will soon choke on them unless she is given some solid food.

The writer has cited a horrible incident.

When Zenab was only 10 years old her father covered her with jewels and gems like a doll and married her away with an old man who happened to be very rich and of superior social status. Usually once married a girl is seldom granted permission to meet her parents. It becomes more difficult when her in-laws are more rich and of higher social status than her parents.

Zenab became a mother of two children yet she could not meet her father. Then one day after being oppressed too much she left her in-law’s house in disguise of a maid servant and came to her father. She broke down in tears and told him, ‘Father you better kill me rather than send me back’. Thereafter she fell sick and her condition became critical.

The grieving father sent a message to her son-in-law, ‘I don’t demand anything from you as my daughter’s dues. On the contrary I am ready to pay you whatever you demand. I request you to divorce your wife according to the Muslim law’.

The son-in-law in reply said, ‘By Allah, what audacity, the fellow is interfering in my zenana! If he is spared so easily a man of my status will forever become an object of public ridicule!’

There were messengers who reported to the father, ‘From what we have come to know it appears that if your son-in-law gets your daughter in his power he will do great harm to her’. The father kept his daughter carefully hidden.

We are much grieved to say that that rascal of a husband killed both the small boys by strangling and forthwith sent their dead bodies to their mother as present. She cried out in shock only once and lost her senses. She never recovered and died shortly thereafter.

We are not sure if it has been proper for the writer to cite such an inhuman incident as an example of the general characteristic of a society, but it is certain that however much one may speak for equalization there must be a limit to the right of one human being over another human being. In oriental societies the limit of the right of husbands over their wives has surpassed so much that we have to cover our shame by saying a lot of meaningless things citing religious precepts.

April 27, 2008

* Original article Musalman Mahila was written by Rabindranath Tagore and published more than one hundred years ago in 1298 BS (1891-92) in the journal Sadhana. At that time the writer was 31 years of age.

Translation by Kumud Biswas

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Image under license with Gettyimages.com

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