Samajwadi Party's young MP Iqra Hasan has given such a frank statement regarding the treatment of women in the society and their struggles, which is currently in the headlines across the country. Lok Sabha MP from Kairana, Iqra Hasan, during a recent interaction with women, mentioned many such bitter truths which common women of the country often have to face in their everyday lives.
'Character and dress are made the biggest weapons'
Speaking openly, MP Iqra Hasan said that since she is a Muslim woman, she has to face many layers of harassment in her life. Taking aim at the male-dominated society, he said that we have to fight continuously and every day against the suppressed thoughts that men have had on this society for a long time.
He further said that whenever we talk about any male group, we never debate on their attire or clothes. What a man is wearing and what he is not wearing rarely becomes a part of any debate or discussion. But, on the contrary, when you, being a woman, work to progress in any field of life, the first thing that is attacked is your character and your dress is targeted.
'If you can't defeat someone with work, then people talk small'
While sharing her bitter experiences, Iqra Hasan said that we face all these things every day in our everyday life. Your own identity is deliberately targeted. Not only this, everything you say is linked to whether you are married or not, whereas all this has nothing remotely to do with my work or that of any other woman. All these things are related only and only to my identity as a woman.
The SP MP said, “As far as I am concerned, I am a Muslim, a woman and an OBC, so I have to face harassment in many layers… But, this has become a part of my work. I feel that when people are not able to defeat you on the basis of your work and ability, then they want to pull you to their level by doing small things like this. I too am now learning to thicken my skin a little. So that these things do not affect me.”
'Officials can't make eye contact with me, I don't know how to take orders from women'
While speaking openly on the administrative system, Iqra Hasan said a very interesting and serious thing. She told that whenever she works in her area, most of the officers there are men and sometimes it seems that those male officers do not know how to take orders from a woman.
He further said that even if he has to say something important to the officers, he cannot look me in the eyes and talk to me. If they have something to say, they look at a subordinate employee sitting with me instead of talking to me directly. Iqra Hasan said that these things may seem small, but their meaning is very big and we have to change this thinking completely.
Women will have to come forward for a better future
At the end of her address, Iqra Hasan stressed that it is very important that you and I together create a system in which women are leading on every front. Be it any family matter or any other social event. Unless we women claim the status we truly deserve and muster the confidence to demand it, we will not be able to pave a better and safer path for our future generations.