Gender equality has been a consistent struggle for women globally, right from the Suffragette movement, through first wave feminist to Malala Yousafsai of today. The thing is, it’s getting tricker. The movement is no longer about white, middle-class housewives trying to be free from oppression from their husband. With women empowerment n the 21st century, questions of cultural relevance and religion are always in constant debate.
This is one of the main reasons that extremist organisations make me so angry: they misrepresent what religions truly stand for. For example, and what this post is specifically about, Islam: it is a religion based on love which pursuit of knowledge, yet organisations like the Boko Haraam stop girls from going to school “in the name of Islam” – it’s so twisted.
When I first heard that the girls had been abducted, the first thing I thought is that it could have happened to me. We do not choose our circumstances. I am lucky enough to go to an all girls’ school safely, but I could have just as easily been born into a country threatened by a terrorist organisation.
Education is a right to all – regardless of race, religion or social status. We can’t just let these girls be oppressed for trying to fulfill a basic right. In January I read ‘I Am Malala’ and it was really shocking how the Taliban had very similar ideologies to the Boko Haraam. It’s the 21st century and people still believe that women do not deserve equal rights – this is saddening.
Subsequently, I’ve watched a snippet of that video that the Boko Haraam leader put out, and I think that the girls are being used as political weapons as well as symbols of backward beliefs. The group has given Goodluck Jonathan an offer of releasing the girls on the condition that currently imprisoned Boko Haraam members are released. Since when is it okay to let almost 200 young humans act as bargaining agents?
I feel like global diplomatic action needs to be escalated.
What has been inspiring, however, is the social action taken by civilians, specifically in my direct community. I’ve seen my own school explode with passion regarding the issue – tweeting #BringBackOurGirls intensively, as well as making posters. We’ve also attracted a lot of media attention!
As well as this, the G(irls) 20 Summit delegation that I’m a part of has taken social awareness action on Facebook. Angie Motshekga, South Africa’s minister of Basic Education, has also be quite action (as she told us when she visited our school on Friday) as she has created a petition… Sign it! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ancwl-bringbackourgirls-safely-now
So, I hope these girls are okay. I hope they get rescued soon. As for the rest of us: why not take a few moments to be grateful that we live in a free society, and let’s use that to help those not as lucky.
The Politics of Thought, South Africa 