Stop Hinduism from promoting discrimination against women

[Guest guest]

[An editorial by Bhumika Ghimire, a freelance writer based in

Indiana, USA. Originally from Nepal, she is a graduate of Schiller

University, Florida. She is a contributing writer on International

Business at http://internationalbusiness.suite101.com/ and is

surrently spearheading apetition campaign to prosecute Maoists in

Nepal for their human rights abuses at

http://www.petitiononline.com/maoists/petition.html ]

 

Stop Hinduism from promoting discrimination against women

 

July 2006: As a society changes through time, its culture, beliefs

and social systems need to change. Otherwise there will be an

imbalance which has negative effect in the society, it's people and

its growth.

 

The Nepali Hindu society has now entered a defining moment in

history. After the nations' historic April revolutuion, which

essentially brought down the monarchy and declared the nation

secular, the people now have the task of rebuilding nation. Until

the rveolution, Nepal was a Hindu state, with majority of population

being Hindus. So the task of reforming the nation should start with

the largest group of people.

 

Following are certain practices and beliefs which need to be reformed

or removed if we want Nepal to progress as a modern society:

 

1) The ritual of animal sacrifice should be stopped immediately. This

practice is inhuman and cruel. In name of religion we as a society

cannot promote cruelty.

 

2) The practice of discriminating women when they are mensurating

should stop. I know the supreme court has outlawed this but then it

is not be honoured. In my home (while in Nepal) I was not allowed to

enter the kitchen, go to the temple or touch anyone while I was

having my periods. Yes I accept the blame for promoting this

draconian practice and I promise I will not go dumb when this

happens again. Every Nepali family should understand that

mensuration is a normal bilogial process and does not make one " un-

pure " . This whole concept of discriminating mensurating women was

developed to ensure that women didn't value themselves, that women

felt they are inferior.

 

3) The practice of dowry should end. For my wedding my parents didn't

spend much on dowry because we would be living in US and it was not

possible to bring everything here. Still almost all wedding in Nepal,

dowry is a big issue. The groom's side often ask for certain items or

certain amount of money. In terai region, brides are tortured,

killed because of dowry dispute. If a bride doesn't bring enough

dowry, she is often humiliated by the family members who then force

her to ask more from her parents. This is extortion.

 

4) Then there is the plight of widows. As I mentioned in [another]

article, widows are at the bottom of Hindu society, even below the

untouchables. She cannot wear red, has to give up eating meat (if she

is a non-vegitarian), she cannot wear makeup. Widows are seen as sign

of bad luck, so they are not invited in ceratin cermonies during a

wedding. Family humiliation and society's torture is another thing

they have to bear. In contrast if a wife dies a man is a free bird.

Some even marry immediately after the customary 45-day mourning

period. This is height of discrimination and cruely againt women.

 

5) Caste system should be abolished. In fact (this is extreme), no

one should be allowed to write their last name which would represent

their caste. For example, I am a Ghimire, so I am a brahmin (the so-

called higher caste), so I should not write my name as Bhumika

Ghimire. Instead of a caste based last name people should write

another name as last name. For example, Bhumika Laxmi (Laxmi is

goddess of wealth).

 

6) Everyone should be allowed to enter a temple. The untouchables and

people from other religions should not be barred.

 

7) Discrimination against single womern, childless women and women

who don't have sons should end. A widow should be allowed to

remarry,if she desires. I know there is no legal provision against

widow re-marriage but then the families still do not accept this and

take this as a sign of promuscuity or betryal.

 

Above all, we should amend all the religious texts which say men are

above women or which promote discrimination,from Manu Smriti to the

Vedas.

 

SOURCE: American Chronicle, Beverly Hills, Califorbia. Copyright:

Bhumika, 2006

URL:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?

articleID=11126