Feminist icon Tahira Abdullah took on Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, the man behind Mere Pass Tum Ho who once said that he was the ‘biggest feminist ever’. The whole incident happened during a debate on what feminism means, right on TV screens.
In her appearance on News Beat, Tahira Abdullah was joined by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, and journalist Owais Touheed.
The episode discussed gender equality, and the subject of ‘feminism’ came up. As the only woman there, she wanted to set the record straight when it came to women and their rights.
https://twitter.com/Tooba_Sd/status/1219013023886606337
The whole thing makes for a riveting watch. Tahira took everyone back to school on what feminism is about, and in a very simple yet effective way. She says that people should think of feminism as a “revolutionary idea that women are also human.”
“I am born from the same woman a man is born from and when I come into this world, I bring my rights with me, just like I’m born with a body, soul, brain and heart, they are a part of my existence.”
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As humans, women are born with respect and fundamental rights. Tahira Abdullah then whipped out her copy of the Constitution of Pakistan asserting that when this book safeguards the fundamental rights of all its citizens, it also safeguards the rights of women.
“Those rights are protected by the Constitution of Pakistan. No one is going to give me my rights nor do I have to ask. Why should we ask men for them? We were born with them!”
The activist then amped up her sass with references to the debate surrounding ‘good women and bad women’. This was apparently in response to a remark KRQ had made in one of his previous interviews.
You want to talk about equality, rights, who’s a good woman or a bad woman, who’s a loyal woman, who’s worthy of respect but my respect and my dignity is not in the hands of any man to give or take.”
She was blunt and laid it out for everyone that women’s rights are not for men to give.
“My rights are not in the hands of men to give or take; I was born with them,”
Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s Takeaway
When the television host barrister Ehtesham Amir-ud-din again questioned whether women demanded their rights from men, Tahira Abdullah re-asserted;
“Why should we have to ask? We were born bearing these rights. We don’t need to beg for them whether we’re a daughter, a mother, a wife or nothing at all. Just by virtue of being a woman, we deserve to be treated like a human being.
She put in a little extra and defined ‘mansplaining’ too.
“We don’t need men to define standards of conduct for us or categorise who’s a good woman or a bad woman. This is what we call mansplaining these days.”
As though not having heard a word Tahira had said, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar then went on to ‘mansplain’ how women don’t know what their rights are.
“When you get out on the streets with these placards, you are asking men for rights. You don’t know what your rights are, you want to take rights away from men for yourself and that’s not going to happen. I hate the fact that [feminists] talk about men with such disdain, I’m the biggest feminist of Pakistan!”
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In response, Tahira quipped about ‘a crow trying to get into the henhouse’ by calling out the double standards when it comes to both genders and hypocrisy.
“Women by nature are supposed to be faithful and if they can’t be, they’re bad women. Men by nature are supposedly not faithful and if they cheat, well, it’s who they are.”
She further elucidates what it really means to be a women in the 21st century.
“We’re in the 21st century and we’re tired of being judged…Men will tell us who we are or what we should be like? We are against this commodification and objectification and we are tired.”
What do you think? Do you agree with Tahira or Khalil here? Let us know in the comments below.
Khalil ur Rehman Qamar is right
Khalil ur Rehman Qamer is an insecure,
Male chauvinist . He should keep his mouth shut because more he opens it ,more controversial he becomes and exposes himself in a very bad manner. His way of expressing things is very elementary. He should read good books.
All the best for him,
She is beating around the bush for no reason at all.
KRQ didn’t say press of the things she is claiming.
And if the society( males) is like what she says. Go make a drama about it as you’ve been doing since couple of decades.
The fact that women(some) have taken so much offence off of his comments( where he repeatedly said they’re only for bad women not good women) proves how true he is.