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Celebrating Individualism or Lack Thereof; Police Brutality and Women

What’s so hard to understand about Meri Zindagi, Meri Merzi?

Disclaimer: It is so hard to come back to reality after an hour of scrolling through cat videos, but the author finds this matter too important to not be addressed, hence the lack of cats in this article. If you are easily offended by women wanting to take back control of their bodies, this article is not for you. If you are a supporter of police brutality, please step away from your screen, and go back to forcing females to make a sandwich for you, because you’re incapable of feeding yourself.

As mentioned before, the author of this article was merrily scrolling through her Facebook feed when she came across a video that disgusted her to the point of furiously typing away on her keyboard, to make people understand exactly what was so wrong with that video. However, nobody ever changed the world by appealing to the good reason of those oppressing them, so I make no claims to any change, of any sorts. This is article is only meant to expose and address a major problem in our country: Misogyny, freedom, and police brutality.

https://www.facebook.com/100008641892751/videos/1925366347761410/

The policemen in the video are firstly breaking what I’m sure are numerous laws, regarding filming, and physical abuse. If this isn’t police brutality, I don’t know what else is. They are slapping the girls for not dressing according to society’s set standards for women and calling them a prostitute, which is a mild translation of the word used in Urdu.

First of all, Mr. Policeman, you are a prostitute for the corrupt system you work and support, and if we were to monitor your activities, I’m certain we could label you a sexual miscreant too. We would find all sorts of harassment that you have put women – and I bet, the Transgender – through.

Aren’t our policemen known for harassing the female population, especially those they pay to dance in front of them, so they may visually and sometimes physically – without consent – satiate their lust?

Secondly, what’s so wrong about girls deciding to choose what to wear, be it hijab or shorts? I see no difference. It is entirely up to them to wear whatever they please, not some entitled policeman who thinks the world revolves around him and his whims. It is high time we stop letting policemen get away with their treatment of citizens. The police in Pakistan is known to be lazy, corrupt, biased, unjust, and ignorant. They are also famous for providing refuge to whoever can get their wallets the heaviest aka the exploiting elite class. Rather than focusing on crimes such as rape, human trafficking, theft, murder, and abductions etc. our police chooses to waste taxpayer money on busting up parties at clubs?

In addition to their unlawful and unacceptable acts, the police are happy to target females, for being just that. What is so hard to understand about “Mera jism, Meri merzi” a slogan that suggests that every individual has the right to do with their body as they please? To the rape apologists that will spring up from the previous sentence, please do not compare bodily autonomy to sexual assault.

 It is not sound logic and will force you to face the rightful anger of feminists who are trying with all of their might, to change the way people view and treat women in the country.

The girls have every right to wear whatever they want. They have every right to purchase and indulge in drugs because guess what, you nosy know-it-alls? It’s their private affair. Wearing shorts and partying doesn’t define anyone’s character, at least not to the point that they are filmed and humiliated in a video that is intended to go viral.

Were it men that were partying, drinking, smoking, having sex, and doing drugs, nobody would blink an eye. Men regularly post videos and pictures of themselves in clubs, smoking, partying, and they often brag about “bacchian,” on social media, but is any action taken against them? I don’t think so. It is all the more disheartening to see women being targeted because of their gender, and the automatic label of being characterless stamped across their forehead. In addition to this, these are the same policemen who turn a blind eye to crimes committed by men, because, men will be men and as long as that happens, women will be forced to suffer in silence. Any women who choose to speak up, without without evidence, will be forced to endure further humiliation by the righteous moral police.

The thing about “Mera Jism, Meri Merzi,” is that women would, for once, like the ability and opportunity to dress the way they want without judgment. It is entirely up to them, and those who stare with offended eyes can always look away. The comments on that video are also something to be considered because while many are offended at the girls being filmed and harassed, others gleefully point out that the girls deserved the way they were treated.

We should be individualists, not a society so deeply entrenched in their internal misogyny, that we can’t see how imposing our self-righteousness on people is wrong. I use the word misogyny because it is usually women who are targeted by the moral police, in this case, quite literally.

I hope the girls sue the policemen for harassment at the very least, so others can begin to speak up and take similar action against faced brutality.

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