Burqas
Trigger warning: Talks about sexual assault.
I come from a Muslim family yet I never saw my mother wear a Burqa. She was born and brought up in Chandigarh, a quite modern city.
But I had seen all my female relatives from both my parents’ sides always wear these long black clothes over their clothes whenever they stepped out of their home.
Even the males in my relatives would always wear full-sleeved kurtas and a cap to cover themselves.
“God has instructed us to cover ourselves so that we are not dirty when we pray” I recall my mother telling me.
Now I am myself an adult. Not too religious, to be honest. My family never asked me to cover myself or wear burqas. I thought modesty comes from within if not implied. Even though Burqa isn’t a part of my wardrobe, it definitely wasn’t an unknown thing too.
But, a few years ago I was introduced to a very peculiar meaning of the Burqas which I never knew before.
Some of my office mates were having a coffee break in the Cafe with some random topics of discussion. I was busy talking to someone when the HR tapped my shoulder and asked me:
“Samreen, does your mother wear a Burqa at home?”
“Umm, no she doesn’t”
Get Samreen’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
“Oh, but you’re Muslim, right?”
“Yes, and my aunts wear a Burqa too, but we live here so we don’t” I was confused as to why she was suddenly asking this.
Hearing this she went back to talking with the others and said, “So, I think women who wear Burqas don’t get assaulted.”
This caught me off guard and I instantly turned to her. What was she talking about?
I said, “What do you mean??”
She continued “I think girls who wear short clothes or revealing clothes are more likely to get molested than someone who has their body covered. Just like those who wear Burqas. Because covering yourself will not provoke any Men”
I could not believe what she had just said.
I confronted her “Then tell me what did the 10-year-old wear which provoked a man to rape her? or the 3-year-old? or the 3-month-old?”
I can admit my voice got rather loud when I came to the end of my sentence.
She became quiet and everyone sensed deep tension in the room. Under a minute the break was over. Everyone disappeared from the cafeteria leaving me alone with my thoughts. The respect I had for the lady vanished from the very moment.
What upset me the most was how people don’t see the severity of this crime. The victims are still treated as the cause. “What was the victim wearing” is still asked instead of “Was the offender reported? Did the molester get punished? Did the victim get justice?”
I wonder… if only people knew that covering their bodies with a Burqa could keep them safe; there would be no rapes.
Samreen.
