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Races turn into fight for Pakistani women's rights |
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The Independent -- London -- Monday May 23 2005
Races turn into fight for Pakistani women's rights
By Justin Huggler, Asia Correspondent
A mini-marathon in the Pakistani city of Lahore at the weekend has
become the unlikely touchstone for a battle between liberals and
Islamic conservatives over women's rights. A similar race scheduled to
take place a week ago was broken up by police who arrested and
allegedly beat several competitors. Women competitors said female
police officers swore at them, beat them and tore their clothes.
Islamic conservatives have focused on the marathons as part of a
campaign to enforce cultural orthodoxy in Pakistan. Radical religious
groups are demanding that men and women be prevented from racing
together. As female runners continue to take to the streets, the
Saturday races appear to be becoming a battleground in the struggle for
and against women's rights.
In April, a mini-marathon in Gujranwala was attacked by religious
hardliners armed with batons and led by a Pakistani MP, Qazi
Hameedullah. Saturday's race went ahead despite the mayor of Lahore,
Mian Amir, announcing a ban on mixed-sex races.
Many women in Saturday's race ran not in shorts and trainers but
traditional salwar kameez - a long, loose shirt and baggy trousers -
and high heels. That was after hardliners had focused on women running
in "revealing" sportswear as a reason to ban the race.
"In our culture, no parent would like to see their daughter running on
the roads along with the boys and that, too, in shorts," said Hafiz
Hussain Ahmed, the deputy leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, (MMA)
Pakistan's main conservative Islamic party, which has been behind most
of the protests.
On Saturday, despite the ban, police protected the runners from
religious hardliners, instead of arresting runners. The marathon was a
success for Asma Jehangir, the chairwoman of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, whose determination to hold the event in the
face of opposition turned it into a cause célèbre. She said: "The
authorities realised violence and heavy-handedness are
counterproductive. It was a symbolic marathon to make the point that
this tyranny had to be broken."
The attempts to have the mixed-sex races banned are the most visible
part of a campaign by Islamists to enforce cultural orthodoxy in
Pakistan, particularly where women are concerned. The MMA recently
introduced a Bill to ban women from appearing in advertisements. Making
or publishing an "indecent" advertisement will be a crime, with
indecency including anything against the Muslim religion or traditional
cultural values. Anyone making an ad using a woman model will be jailed
for a year - five years for repeat offenders. The MMA also recently
succeeded in forcing Pakistanis to list their religion in passports -
something religious minorities fear will expose them to persecution.
The new campaign is a radical departure for the MMA, which until
recently concentrated its efforts on opposing President Pervez
Musharraf's support for the US against al-Qa'ida and Taliban remnants
in Pakistan. He has been forced into an unlikely alliance with the MMA
because he has so little support among liberal parties. But some
analysts say the party's campaign has come about because it sees the
writing on the wall for its cosy arrangement with the President, who
has been making overtures to his liberal opponents of late.
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