Just Watched Haq, and Something Shifted in Me
I watched the portrayal of Shazia Bano in Haq, and it changed something in me.
All my life, I conditioned myself to believe that life is good. My parents treat me equally. I receive opportunities regardless of my gender. In this day and age, I can stand next to a man and feel equal. And yet, it pains me deeply to see women suffering every single day.
The women who suffer out there are no different from me. They have the same body, the same nervous system, the same capacity for pain, and the same depth of feeling. No matter who gets what, we suffer, not only as individuals, but as a gender.
The colour of the pictures has changed, but the problem persists.
Some girls are still denied basic education. Some are forced into marriage far too young. Some are conditioned to believe that asking for even the most basic rights makes them a burden on their families. Women quietly learn how to adjust, and this cycle continues.
Even today, I see women adjusting everywhere. I have adjusted too.
I once believed that we are all writing our own destinies, that justice is something we can fight for if we want it badly enough. But for many women, justice, the most basic human right, is never within reach. We were not always this way. We had curiosity once. We wanted the same things our brothers did. We wanted a chance to experience life fully, just like everyone else.
For many women, that chance exists only as a dream written in a diary.
Some are so afraid of the idea of freedom that they cannot even dream of it.
We often say that life is unfair. But unfair for whom?
Unfair for the little girl who only wanted to read?
Or unfair for the woman who only wanted to be equal to her husband?
I used to believe that calling myself a feminist openly would close many doors for me. I feared being seen as a threat, especially by men. I wasn’t ready for that discomfort, so I kept my mind closed to these realities. But this was never about how I am perceived. The truth is much larger than that. It is about how women are treated across the world.
I yearn for every woman who is suffering.
Not every victory means every woman wins!
Some women suffer their entire lives, and the cost of that suffering is devastating. It takes away their pride, their self-respect, and eventually, their reason to live.
And then, you are no longer living.
You exist only as a body fulfilling its duties,
while your mind, your heart, and your soul have long since withered away.