Bohni – Delhi is a scary option

Sunday night’s episode of a 23-year-old medical student being brutally gang-raped inside a moving bus in India’s capital, New Delhi, has shocked everybody. Our blogger Debarati Mukherjee got in touch with few women residing in Delhi and asked them how safe they felt in the capital.

A little girl in India, dressed as a bride, waits for her groom.

Be it going to school, playing with friends or listening to stories from your grandparents- all these memories of childhood bring a profound feeling of happiness. But everyone is not fortunate enough. For hundreds of girls throughout the world childhood comes to an end sooner than it should.

“With all respect, everyday, thousands of people die, but still the world moves on. Just because one politician died a natural death, everyone just goes bonkers. They should know we are resilient by force, not by choice. When was the last time anyone showed some respect or even a two minute silence for shaheed Bhagat Singh, Azad, Sukhdev or any of the people because of whom we are free living Indians? Respect is earned, given and definitely not forced. Today Mumbai shuts down due to fear, not respect.”

The hardest thing for a mother is to lose her child. The pain caused is much greater than that caused by childbirth. Savita Halappanavar was brave enough to accept that she was losing her baby. 31-year-old Savita, a dentist by profession, went to a hospital in Ireland complaining of back pain. After being told that she was miscarrying, she sought medical termination of her pregnancy.

A woman kneels in prayer at a mosque in Kashmir, India.

Dargah Haji Ali is a famous landmark in Mumbai and attracts thousands of visitors every year. The glittering marble structure is laid out on a rocky bed 500 yards into the Arabian sea off the coast of South Mumbai. The iconic shrine has inspired odes from Bollywood and has been sought out by people of all religions over the decades, but soon, women will be denied entry into the famous shrine.

There are reports of Jimmy Savile’s involvement in child abuse cases on almost every news site in the UK. Jimmy Savile, a famous TV personality, passed away last year. He is accused of sexually abusing nearly 200 girls and one boy. Most of the cases date back to the 1960s and the 1970s and complaints are pouring in nearly one year after he died.

Western societies are often criticized for stereotyping Islamic culture, especially the Muslim women, who are often judged by the media based on their dress code. But where do these stereotypes come from? Perhaps Muslim societies themselves are responsible for strengthening these stereotypes.