There are times when silence is not an option.
As Sabika Abbas Naqvi reminds us:
To all those who chose to stay silent remember:
“Iss zulm mein jo khamosh rahe, Zalim bhi wahi, qatil bhi wahi”
(If you stay a mere silent spectator in the face of this oppression, You are the oppressor)
Outraged at the continued affront to safety and dignity of women, we wrote an Open Letter to the President and Prime Minister, and other leaders of the country, urging them to break their silence on derogatory remarks and acts against women, denounce all kinds of hate speech, and work towards creating an inclusive society.
We were overwhelmed, by the number of people who joined us in singning the Open Letter, first from our alma mater Institute of Rural Management Anand, and then by people from many other institutions across the country. The press coverage has been overwhelming. From Kashmir to Assam, to most mainstream news portals. It’s an affirmation of what we can do as a collective to have our voice heard.
We learnt many things in the process, from writing that Open letter, to getting signatories, to writing the Press Release, and putting our message out there. We are still figuring out how we can follow through. If any of you have ideas please connect/ share..
Also, really appreciated this article by Deblina Dasgupta in news18.com, who spoke with us with empathy (may her tribe of journalists increase) https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/silence-not-an-option-activists-bat-for-gender-sensitivity-after-bulli-bai-case-4685924.html
The article by Sabika Abbas Naqvi — https://www.news9live.com/art-culture/society/bulli-bai-isnt-first-instance-of-communal-abuse-directed-at-muslim-women-and-not-certainly-last-148150?infinitescroll=1
