‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi‘ has managed to ruffle more feathers than anything else and Ahmed Ali Butt has joined the bandwagon of those who are criticising the slogan without understanding it.
In a lengthy message posted to social media, Butt said while he has no sympathies for Khalil ur Rehman Qamar or Marvi Sirmed, he has even little sympathy for the “people who exploit the so-called ‘Mera J Mery XYZ’, adding that it is a western campaign. The actor stated that “When it comes to women’s rights, Islam has the most rights and respect for women.”
Shehzad Roy, Adnan Malik and activist Nayab Gohar Jan have perfectly explained the slogan for those who are still unable to understand the concept behind it.
Don’t understand the problem so many are having with #MeraJismMeriMarzi“-Mera jism meri marzi nahi toh kis ki marzi ho gi?? “My body is mine” is a critical component of the Life Skills Based Education classes we teach to help children protect themselves from abuse & harassment
Agar kisi ko sadiyon se mukkay maaray ja rahay hain toh kya aap uss ke aaj cheekhnay pe ye kahen ge ke tone behtar karain? #tonepolicing#womensday#MeraJismMeriMarzi
I’m in awe of the sheer power of 4 words strung together: #MeraJismMeriMarzi This slogan has destabilized centuries of patriarchy & triggered a man renown for his eloquence; unmasking a rabid, inarticulate, hate-spewing misogynist. Just 4 words. How frail our male egos can be.
Yes I will, because they are claiming autonomy over their bodies, zara research kar len ke is slogan ka matlab kya hai. Aap logon ka masla ye hai ke aap ‘jism’ ka lafz suntay hain aur sirf Bipasha Basu ya Sunny Leone ki film yaad aa jaati hai. https://t.co/G8sXE1qbxt
#MeraJismMeriMarzi is a powerful slogan- Bodies, especially female bodies, are contested spaces throughout history and wars have been fought over the same. Always used as a prop in power relationships of states, corporations and individuals. pic.twitter.com/AGdNLP4s45
Earlier, singer Quratulain Balouch had passed a problematic statement regarding the Aurat March. She later explained her comment after Twitter schooled her for it.
Amanullah had on March 3 once again been admitted to a private hospital in Lahore after his health deteriorated.
He had been shifted to the hospital for the fourth time as his condition was not getting stable. He was suffering from multiple medical complexities such as lungs, kidneys and breathing issues.
According to Amanullah’s family, he was admitted to hospital after his condition got precarious and that he was on ventilator.
The family had also appealed to the actor’s fans to pray for his recovery.
Mahira then, temporarily deactivated her Twitter account, and Twitterati believe it is because of the massive backlash she was facing from twitter trolls about her positive stance on Aurat March.
Congratulations to all the activists who trolled Mahira Khan. You got what you wanted. She has deactivated her Twitter account. Hope you count it as a win. Idiots.
This makes me so upset honestly. Mahira Khan is probably the only person from the industry who is so vocal about every topic and she has never been harsh towards anyone. You guys don't deserve her.
Mahira Khan deactivated her account because people can’t respect an opinion here anymore. You all campaign for free speech but you start schooling instead of a respectful discourse. Good luck with recruiting for a cause with this sort of mental rigidity.
Mahira had beautifully stated why she was speaking up on behalf of Pakistani women and why there is a need for Pakistani women to be given a voice and a platform.
I’m sure those who have been organizing the Aurat March are experienced, have been working for years for the cause of women..they have a better idea of what should and should not be done. I write out of pure observation. #WhyIMarchpic.twitter.com/D3AUQYM3Re
Following Khalil ur Rehman Qamar’s abusive behaviour towards social activist and journalist Marvi Sirmed on live television, Geo Entertainment and 7th Sky Entertainment on Thursday announced that they had suspended their contract with the writer.
The television channel made the announcement on social media. The official statement by the channel said that the contract would remain suspended until Qamar apologises for his actions. It added that the company had entered into a non-exclusive agreement with the writer, similar to the ones he has with other TV channels. According to the contract, Qamar was to write four dramas and a movie for the channel.
“Geo believes in exchange of ideas and promoting the culture of Live and Let Live (Geo our Jeenay do) we believe that everyone has the right to express their opinions and the culture of healthy debate should be encouraged,” read the statement.
Following Geo’s announcement, Qamar responded by saying that he will not apologise for his comments and assured his followers that he will “not work with this institution for my life to come.”
Meanwhile, celebrities, politicians and other members of the civil society lauded Geo for taking this step.
Good action by Geo. No matter who the woman is, no one has the right to abuse and use filthy language against her especially on TV. It should never be acceptable & never be tolerated. https://t.co/QTrJizyXXG
TikTok has claimed another life in India as a young man was killed while recording a video on the railway tracks. Vikas died on the spot after he was electrocuted by the tracks.
According to reports, the incident took place in Haryana. The 25-year-old was making a video with his friends at 4 am when he climbed up the electrical pole for a better shot. He continued to climb higher and accidentally touched one of the high voltage wires overhead. He was the only casualty in the incident.
When he died, his friends ran away. The body was there on the wire for almost two hours. Some passersby saw the body and informed the police.
Government Railway Police (GRP) shut off the power and took down the body. The deceased was sent to a hospital.
Meanwhile, the police have seized his mobile phone for investigation. They suspect that Vikas and his friends had been drunk when they attempted to make the TikTok video that sadly took his life.
Vikas lived alone with his mother. His elder brother is currently serving a prison sentence while his father has passed away.
TikTok related deaths are not uncommon in the sub-continent. Recently a teenager in Sialkot accidentally shot himself while making a TikTok video.
While most people are freaking out about the coronavirus outbreak, Prince William appears to be unfazed with the matter as he joked about the matter with healthcare workers on his recent visit to Ireland.
According to CNN, the Duke of Cambridge joked about the virus on Tuesday while meeting emergency workers at a reception in Dublin hosted by Britain’s ambassador to Ireland.
Speaking to an advance paramedic with the National Ambulance Service, William commented: “I bet everyone’s like ‘I’ve got coronavirus, I’m dying,’ and you’re like ‘no, you’ve just got a cough.’”
The Prince further questioned whether the media blew the matter out of proportion.
“It does seem quite dramatic about coronavirus at the moment. Is it being a little hyped up, do you think, by the media?” he remarked.
William also joked in mock horror to the paramedic: “Does it seem quite dramatic about #Coronavirus at the moment? Is it being a little bit hyped up in the media? By the way, the Duke and Duchess are spreading Coronavirus!” (To be clear, it was a joke …)
In another video clip from the event the duke was heard saying: “By the way, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spreading coronavirus, Sorry. We’re keeping an eye on that, so do tell us if we need to stop.”
According to the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care, a total of 16,659 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the UK, of whom 85 have been confirmed as positive.
William’s remarks came after it emerged that he and the duchess are following guidance from Public Health England on the coronavirus threat and that meant “business as usual” for now. The royal couple shook hands with dozens of people on the first day of their tour.
Prince William’s comments irked many who commented that the virus was not a matter to joke about.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles also passed a light comment on the matter.
‘I’m self-isolating’ laughs the Duchess of Cornwall as she steps into a one person air raid shelter at the @ltmuseumpic.twitter.com/xwouBH64bK
Meanwhile, it is being reported that Wahab Riaz will now be captaining the team.
Darren Sammy has been named as new head coach of Peshawar Zalmi. Akram promoted as director cricket with additional role of the bowling coach. Sammy will also be available for selection as a player. Wahab Riaz takes over the role as new captain. pic.twitter.com/651IP6wWl9
Sammy was rested in the Zalmi’s last game against Karachi Kings on Monday. The decision was allegedly taken after Sammy’s struggled for form and fitness because of which Zalmi have descended to the fifth position on the PSL 2020 points table. Former Zalmi head coach Mohammad Akram had held a press conference in which he explained that resting players is nothing new, adding that Sammy was given a break to “work on his form and fitness.”
With the Aurat March scheduled to take place this weekend, things are heating up with the controversy surrounding it keeps getting bigger. So far, a petition has been filed and dismissed in the Lahore High Court, an acclaimed writer verbally abused a social activist on live television and posters and murals of the march have been torn down in different cities.
Amidst all the debate, singer Quratulain Balouch, popularly known as, QB posted a controversial statement on Twitter. QB gained popularity after she sang the title track – Woh Humsafar Tha – for Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan’s super hit drama Humsafar.
The singer’s comment sparked outrage, following which women, including Senator Anny Marri and model Eman Suleman, took to social media to school her.
No. Just NO. And also, it’s not “her” rights she shouts for. It’s yours. And the “real feminist” will continue to shout for you and others like you – even though really, you don’t deserve it. https://t.co/hiRMXc4xzA
If real feminists had not shouted for OUR rights you would not be enjoying the privilege of using YOUR voice to sing. And today you would not have this platform and that blue tick. ♀️ https://t.co/WUtze6qNPo
Real feminists dont put down other women who vocalize their demands. Dont paint our struggle as hysterical by using words like “shouting”. If you dont have the moral courage to stand with us, the least you can do is not stand in our way because of your internalized misogyny. https://t.co/lgbCCIwlLp
— Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir (@ImaanZHazir) March 5, 2020
A real feminist not only shouts for her rights but everyone else’s too. Including yours. Be grateful to the women who came before you and fought for your right to speak. Stop making ignorant statements. Stop telling women to suffer quietly. https://t.co/tBNX7xDWYo
Almost 800,000 people commit suicide every year, which makes a fatality rate higher than wars, cancer or homicide, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
In view of the aforementioned staggering figures, Reddit — an American social news aggregation website — has announced a new tool for suicide prevention by teaming up with Crisis Text Line — a global not-for-profit organisation providing free confidential crisis intervention.
According to the details of the service that will be effective from March 10 this year, it will allow users to report those, who they believe are at risk, so that Reddit can provide them with prevention resources.
The reported user will get a private message with suicide prevention resources and a recommendation to text ‘CHAT’ to 741741 — the number for the Crisis Text Line.
Once the Reddit user has reached out to the text line, a trained crisis counselor will be available for support.
This is not the first time a social media platform has offered to provide suicide prevention help. as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat also have pages listing global suicide prevention resources.
With the Aurat March scheduled to take place this weekend, things are heating up and the controversy surrounding it keeps growing. Till now, a petition has been filed and dismissed in the Lahore High Court, an acclaimed writer verbally abused a social activist on live television and posters and murals of the march have been torn down in different cities.
The slogans and posters of the Aurat March have created the most amount of controversy, in particular, ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’. While some say the slogan is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society.”
It was also this slogan which Khalil ur Rehman Qamar was criticising when journalist Marvi Sirmed murmured it as he was speaking causing him to spew abuse towards her. Qamar’s actions sparked a whole new debate in which several members of the entertainment industry got involved.
Mahira Khan, who was one of the first actors to condemn Qamar for his words and actions, posted a note to social media in which she talked about why she marches.
“We are a country getting used to the idea of equal rights, Me Too, Times Up. All of us, as those in positions of power and privilege should speak a language that a common man would understand. We don’t march for ourselves. We march for those who can not march for themselves,” she wrote.
I’m sure those who have been organizing the Aurat March are experienced, have been working for years for the cause of women..they have a better idea of what should and should not be done. I write out of pure observation. #WhyIMarchpic.twitter.com/D3AUQYM3Re
Agree wholeheartedly. Using this platform to be a provocateur is going to be playing into the hands of those who call all protests “fahashi” and all demands “liberal agenda”. I hope come March 8th, we see ppl on both sides understand each other better not the other way around. https://t.co/QvOWpygj1L
Meanwhile, some organisers of the Aurat March disagreed with Mahira’s comments and explained to her that provocative and instigating posters are there to demand attention.
It is our urban morality that finds certain language or slogans provocative. The discomfort is something those feeling it need to process & figure out for themselves, not those expressing the slogans. Each slogan reflects a lived reality. A social ill. Discrimination. Inequality.
Protests by virtue of their design and purpose are supposed to shock and make people take notice and think, which the posters and slogans from last years did. A protest where you placate is not only oxymoronic but also just plain moronic. https://t.co/KYg6sMtLmM
All the concerns were raised, had placards. You’re right to think the women organizing and volunteering their efforts for the March have a better idea. Why not amplify their voices instead? Their social media accounts are very active and informative @AuratMarchKHI@AuratMarch
This sounds an awful lot like tone policing…. plus a bit condescending to be fairly honest. I’ll say this as many times as it needs to be said. We WERE holding placards that highlighted all the issues mentioned. ♀️ https://t.co/AdULZDrblE
Responding to the explanations, Mahira said that she stands corrected, adding that she still “believes that certain things said/written out of rage dissuade us from engaging in dialogue which brings about change.”
You’re right. Also, #merajismmerimarzi is not what I was talking about when I said ‘careful about the words we put out’. In any case, I stand corrected. https://t.co/mr3iq2LD85
Farieha, I still believe that certain things said/written out of rage dissuade us from engaging in dialogue which brings about change. This is my opinion. And I shall continue to engage with people like you.I feel sad and strange saying this – but thank you for not abusing me. https://t.co/sd6kEByExP
