Girls from the Middle East
Most of us are blessed with freedom, if not perfect freedom, then a relatively generous share of freedom. We wear what we like, we eat what we like, and we follow whatever the crazy dreams we have. We go where we like and sing and dance and have some kind of amusement in life. But there is some area on earth where people are not that lucky. Where girls are not that lucky. With increasing attention of world politics on the Arab world, this article is going to talk about the girls in the Middle East.
There are two main reasons as to why we should discuss about their lives. Reason one; they are like any other girl on any other place on earth. Reason two; they need others to realize their situations and to talk for them, with them; not against them.
So, hidden under the hijab and covered with oppression, these girls have dreams and desires too. The girls of the Middle East like to go to school, and they like to study. They have dreams to become doctors, scientists, models, designers, and so much more. But out there, they have to hide all those dreams and they have to pretend that they are someone else. The rest of the world is offering more liberty to women, and the rigid patriarchal structures are becoming more flexible in favor of the fair sex. Yet in the Middle East, still the females are the victims of all sorts of violence. From physical to psychological torture, they undergo thousand and one ‘punishments’ for being a female. Let me quote from Khaled Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’; “Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always” (Hosseini, 7). More or less this is the fate of the girls in the Middle East.
Islam is a beautiful religion, as is any religion. The people have edited misinterpreted and massacred God’s words that it has turned to be an oppressive tyrannical guide. The extremists are denying the girls of education, of dreaming and of laughing. Out there in the Middle East, girls are forced in to marriage before they can even understand what marriage is. They are banned from dreaming for a happy life. While we are enjoying our basic human rights here, these girls watch in stunned horror as their dreams and rights are uprooted right in front of their eyes.
Malala Yousafzai’s story shows how normal and eager the girls in the Arab community are. When Malala Yousafzai’s editor, Judy Clain asked her about her hopes, she said, “Well, I have many, many hopes and many, many big dreams”. This is the same for every girl there. And that is why we have to pay attention to them. There are so many Malalas there, and they all need help. Terrorism, extremism, abuse and chauvinism are eating up the souls of the victimized girls. True, men are suffering too; but it is these girls, the females who need help the most. Banned from walking outside without a man keeping an eye on them, barred from having a say in their marriage, and silenced from asking for rights; these girls need our help. The Middle East is a beautiful land. We all have to work together to make sure that these innocent girls can freely enjoy that beauty and get inspired to be who they want to be.
