Why Discriminate?

This is in reference to the article "Those Four Days" By "Nuzhat" (GK 19-09-08). I am really very grateful to GK for bringing up such articles that depict our real social scenario. The author has indeed done a marvellous job by sharing her true experience about gender discrimination which is still widely prevalent in this so called 'modern' society. I have also been myself witness to many such cases of gender discrimination wherein a male child is given preference over the female. This philosophy is based on the fake concept that the male child can support the parents in the old age and can keep the family name alive. But I would like to question that Whats the guarantee for this? Many a time it has been found that the girl child proves boon and the so called 'superior' boy proves bane to the parents.

I have personally experienced that the discriminating parents take less interest in their daughters because they think 'Ladki to Paraya Maal hai' and spend lavishly only on sons and leave their daugters in lurch. These discriminated girls often suffer from split personality and perpetual mental trauma which numbs their mental capabilities which further leads to many harmful consequences like drug addiction, etc. The best and the foremost solution to get out of this problem of gender discrimination is to follow the divine and sublime teachings of our Islam which tell us to treat children equally. The people may consider a boy superior in their eyes than a girl but the Qur'an says that both are an equal blessing:"To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows (children) male or female According to His will, Or He bestows both males and females, And He leaves barren whom He will: For He is full of knowledge and Power" (Surah Shura V. 49-50).

In spite of the teachings of the Qur'an ' which guides to the most upright way' (Surah Isra:9), people still fail to realize that children are bestowed according to the plan of Allah (SWT). And both male and female children are blessings from our Allah. Islam has given equal rights to males and females without any discrimination. Everybody is equal in the eyes of the Lord, so why to discriminate on the grounds of gender? The Qur'an says that,"Whoever works righteousness, Man or woman, and has faith, Verily, to him will We give a life that is good and pure, And We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions" (Surah Nahl V. 97). So according to Qur'an what actually matters are our deeds and actions and not our gender.

Morever, Islam has encouraged the bringing up of a female child and has attached a great reward to it. A tradition of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) goes like this: "A lady along with her two daughters came to me (Ayesha RA) asking me (for some alms), but she found nothing with me (Ayesha RA) except one date which i gave to her and she divided it between her two daughters, and then she got up and went away. Then the Prophet (SAW) came in and I (Ayesha RA) informed him about this story. He said, "Whoever is in charge of these daughters and treats them generously, then they will act as a shield for him from the (Hell) fire" (Sahih Bukhari Vol.8,Book 73,Hadith No.24).

To conclude, the Islamic teachings and morals can only save us from various social ills and its only through Islam that we can put an end to the ongoing social problems. When we will feel the essence of Islam in our hearts, only then will our behaviour become positive and its only after that we will be able to treat our children equally. The gender discrimination is a curse upon our society and above all it paralyzes the funtion of the society to a large extent. Lets make the Qur'an our guide and save ourselves from the cheap mentality of gender discrimination:"We have sent down the Book to you making all things clear and as guidance and mercy and good news for Muslims" (Surah Nahl V.89)

(This Article Has been written by Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander. An abridged version of this was published in Greater Kashmir, a leading english newspaper of Kashmir on 24-09-08. Please Click the following link to read that directly from the Greater Kashmir Website http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=24_9_2008&ItemID=8&cat=14 )