Over the years media has reported several controversies around the choice of Muslim women wearing a burqa. Politicians have only escalated the debate with their demands to ban this particular sartorial choice stating it curtails ‘freedom’. On the other hand there are those who have even harassed women for not wearing burqa.
The latest addition to these absurd remarks over the choice of Muslim women is by a Twitter user named @amitbehere who wrote, "Burqa is as much free will as Sati was. Don't confuse social conditioning with free will, a****les."
What is Sati?
A largely historical practice found chiefly among Hindus, in which a widow sacrifices herself by sitting atop her deceased husband's funeral pyre. It was due to the efforts of social reformist Raja Ram Mohan Roy that Lord William Bentick abolished Sati system in 1829 by declaring it an offence.
Twitter fumed over the statement and ‘burqa’ became one of the top trending topics on the micro blogging site.
One user wrote, "You just compared one of the most disturbing practice of human history with the attire of some women."
Another commented, “It baffles me that you had to club the wearing of modest clothing with the self-immolating practice of Sati. This is messed up. Kindly, do not insult the judgement of millions of Muslim women worldwide who wear the Burkha/Hijab/Niqab as a symbol of worship to their Creator."
Here are some of the reactions.
Only an idiot can compare burqa with an evil practice like sati!
You need to be a special kind of idiot to compare the ritual of "burning women alive" to women wearing burqas.
Not all women wear burqas. Not all women are forced to wear Burqa. If you dont want to see women wearing Burqa, please poke a needle in ur eyes.
Its upto Muslim women to decide if they want to wear Burqa or not
In all matters of Islam both men & women can speak
Millions chose to wear Burqa.
Its an insult to their intellect comparing it with sati
It's an abuse to 1000's of Buqa clad women who sat on road agnst CAA/NRC twitter.com/amitbehere/sta…
Recently, a guy compared women wearing Burqas leading a movement is same like "serial killers preaching peace"
Now another legend strikes - with comparison that Burqa = Sati. Obnoxiously absurd.
And why are Men from Majority obsessed with attire of Muslim Women? twitter.com/amitbehere/sta…
Thats a blasphemous comparison!
You may see 'oppression' in both Burqa and Sati & thats your call; but Sati was a murderous ritual. End of life. Where is the empowerment or the notion of it? Choice, yes. Thats just conditionning.
Terrible false equivalence where there's none
Stupidest tweet you'll come across today.
Why are these people so obsessed with burqas or Muslims?
And I don't wear burqa & forget someone forcing me, no Muslim gas ever asked me about me not wearing it.
It's always Hindus who have asked me lol twitter.com/amitbehere/sta…
Phir ye burqa debate kahan se aa gaya yaar?
The pandemic is spreading like wildfire, the poor are on the verge of famine, the economy is in doldrums, the social fabric has been torn apart and the only thing to talk about is burqa, really?
Earlier this year, Pakistani-Canadian author Tarek Fatah, raising questions on Muslim women’s' participation in anti-CAA demonstrations, said that before seeking freedom from the new citizenship law, they must seek freedom from the veil (burqa) first.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh also stoked controversy by demanding a ban on burqa. In an apparent reference to protest by women against CAA in the Shahjamal area in Agra, the minister had said that burqas were being used by 'terrorists' to conceal their identity.
He had said that the trend of wearing a burqa started in Arabian countries and is not an Indian custom. He added India should ban its use and pointed out that even Sri Lanka had banned it after a series of bomb blasts ripped the country last year, leaving many dead and injuring scores of people.
He further said that 'Surpanakha' had worn a burqa to hide her face after Laxman cut off her nose. "Only descendants of Surpanakha wear burqa," he added.
