Outrage in Pakistan After Feminism Panel Includes No Women
Benazir Bhutto was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan and of the Muslim world. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Arts Council of Pakistan is facing backlash after planning to host a panel on feminism with only male participants on November 22. The Karachi event, originally titled “Feminism: The Other Perspective,” provoked an outcry on social media, resulting in the addition of two female guests and a title change to “Understanding Feminism.”
The only woman originally set to speak, the host of the discussion Uzma al-Karim, saw her name placed at the very bottom of promotional material, below various high-profile male Pakistanis in the arts industry, including a network CEO and a film director.
“Our purpose was to get men having decision-making powers in major media houses and those with a following to talk about their understanding of feminism,” said al-Karim. “We wanted to register their perception because they were in a position to influence public opinion. And that's why we called it ‘the other perspective’.”
“These men wanna give the ‘other perspective’ on feminism,” said one Twitter user. “Maybe the intention here was to use their privilege for the cause—but this isn’t how allyship works. This is, however, what taking up space looks like.”
Two female speakers, feminist Mehtab Akbar Rashdi and journalist Quatrina Hosain, were added to the panel after the social media backlash, and al-Karim’s name was made more prominent in promotions.
A historically patriarchal society, Pakistan has one of the lowest rankings in the world for gender equality, and the World Bank estimates almost one in three married Pakistani women report facing physical violence. A Reuters study last year ranked Pakistan as the sixth-most dangerous country for women.
Pakistani women face thousands of violent incidents against them, from “honor” killings to rape, acid attacks, sexual harassment, and kidnapping.
Despite such statistics, the country has been able to make some progress during the course of its history. For instance, the Pakistani people elected Benazir Bhutto to the position of prime minister twice in 1988 and 1993, making her the first female head of government in the Muslim world. Women have held various other positions, such as speaker of the National Assembly, leader of the Opposition, and major general in the Armed Forces, along with various other federal and judicial positions.
Some say that Twitter was too quick to judge, however, and that web critics misinterpreted the intent of the panel.
“I was informed the panel is about men talking to other men about rethinking masculinity and why as men we need feminism,” tweeted Jibran Nasir, human rights lawyer and one of the speakers for the event. “It wasn’t to explain feminism or talk about women issues [sic] as men.”