The twenty-first century described the rise of a new dawn for women in our part of the world. They were seen leaving their mark in various professional fields which were considered to be chiefly male dominated and they excelled. They also keenly participated in politics, another arena where men rule the roost, and proved their worth – a testimony of positive change in the mindsets of the people at large.

The images of Amina Tyler, a 19-year-old Tunisian Muslim woman agitating against the  oppression of women in her society by  posing topless have gone viral followed by rumors of her arrest and being sent for psychiatric treatment. The incident simply calls for mobilizing support to save the woman from any possible backlash, but the feminists of our modern world seem to have gone bonkers.

Being in your late 20s and choosing to be single is a challenge even in the year 2013. For a few years, I blamed the Indian focus on traditions and marriage until recently when I realized that women from other cultures think being single during one’s “marriageable age” is unusual too.

What does it take for a woman in Pakistan to leave her house, take her children along and attend a political rally? I say, more than commitment. Apart from support from the men of her house, she needs to feel safe, among men, that is.