1510191135021st Sandeep Rani

ISSN No.
: 2394-0344 Remarking : Vol-2 * Issue-2*July-2015
Women and Religion in Pakistan:

A Critical Analysis of Tehmina Durrani’s
Blasphemy; A Novel
Abstract
The present study is an attempt to highlight the condition of
women in patriarchal society where religion is used as a medium to exploit
women. Through Tehmina Durrani‟s novel Blasphemy it is shown that how
women are treated in this socio-cultural society.
Keywords: Religion, Women, Patriarchy, Blasphemy, Exploitation and
Power.
Introduction
“No nation can rise to the height of glory unless their women are
side byside with them.......It is crime against humanity that our
women are shutup with in the four walls of the houses as
prisoners."…….Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Father of Nation.
But, the reality is totally different. Women are supposed to play a
passive role in society and to live according to the age old norms which are
only for women. They undergo a complex series of subjugation and are left
unequipped to plead or fight against the injustice hurled upon them. They
are supposed to follow the rules and regulations set up by the male
members of their family and society. Throughout the history, we can see
that women are exploited for one or the other reason by the male
dominated society.
Actually, women victimization is one of the evils confronting
women all over the world. The society of Pakistan is no different from any
other male obsessed society. They are always oppressed part of the
Sandeep Rani society. Women being extremely vulnerable are easy targets of any form of
Assistant Professor, oppression, humiliation, deprivation and discrimination, and this patriarchal
Deptt. of English, social system uses religion as a medium to exploit women and disinherit
Punjabi University College, from all rights silencing their voice. Religion which is associated with God
Moonak and goodness treats men and women in equal terms with humanity and
humility. But the patriarchal system flourishing, the mediators made religion
patriarchal in nature started misusing it to victimize and subjugate women.
That is what Tehmina Durrani, the Pakistani writer has shown in her novel
Blasphemy.
Tehmina Durrani was born into an educated and influential family
and was only 17 when she got married to Anees Khan. She divorced him in
1976 and then married to Mustafa Khar. Thirteen years of her marriage
with Khar are considered the worst period of her life resulting in divorce
thereby losing the custody of her children as well as economic support.
Thus, Tehmina Durrani suffered at the hands of the dominant regime and
thus is aware of women's horrible plight in Muslim society. Through her
story, she represents the very mirror of every woman who undergoes such
turbulent life and is unable to raise a voice against these age old norms
that are only for women. She has attempted to create an awareness and
consciousness among people, regarding the destructive impact of
patriarchal norms. It was the call of the hour to speak out, breaking the age
old silence.
Her novel Blasphemy is a continuation of her indictment of the
corrupt religious system of Pakistan. In it she exposes the corrupt nature of
religious leaders, the evils like polygamy, rape and child molestation at
heart wrenching level. In Blasphemy through the narrative of her
protagonist, Heer exposes the devilish character of a holy man Pir Sain
who uses religion to subjugate women in the haveli. However, he is
considered closest to God. As Heer reveals:
“To me, my husband was my son‟s murderer. He was also my
daughter‟s molester. A parasite nibbling on the Holy book, he was
Lucifer, holding me by the throat and driving me to sin every night.
He was the rapist of orphans and fiend that fed on the weak. But
over and above all this, he was known to be the man closest to
80
ISSN No. : 2394-0344 Remarking : Vol-2 * Issue-2*July-2015
Allah, the one who could reach Him and save become a victim of Pir‟s everyday sexual pleasures.
us” (Durrani 1999, 143). There is a powerful character in the novel, Cheel, who
In this corrupt social system, Heer, a girl of pays silent service in the haveli, indirectly bore a
fifteen, is married to Pir Sain, a man of her father‟s physical abuse, as her long, unmoving posture to
age only for social status. It appears as a kind of keep watch over the activities in the haveli, led ants
contract to gain the honor and dignity in the enter her body through her feet and rot up her body
community. As Heer‟s mother is very happy at this that led her painful death. “Her presence was likened
marriage because she thinks the dignity of her family to the dead who would not speak except on Judgment
would be restored by this marriage. She says, day” (Durrani 1999, 51). It becomes unbearable when
“We are extremely lucky. After your father‟s Pir Sain‟s cruel eyes goes to his own little daughter,
death, people didn‟t think we were worth Guppi and tries to molestrate her. Heer tries to
anything. Your marriage will restore our escape her daughter by offering other girls to Pir Sain.
dignity in the community. Your sisters marry In this novel, we see that women are allowed
well and your brother will get a good girl and to read only Arabic version of Quran. Guppi is
a good job. Our status will improve permitted to read only Arabic Quran. She does not
tremendously…..” ( Durrani 1999, 25). even understand the single word of Quran. As she
But the marriage proves a curse for Heer. Pir questions about it to her mother, Heer and says,
sain abuses her body on the very first night of their “….I don‟t understand Arabic. How can I
marriage. Afterwards, he controls her mind and soul commit myself to Allah without knowing what
and Heer is forcibly adapted to a life which no human I commit to? How can I make a promise
being can bear. She is confined in the four walls of the without knowing what to keep? Allah knows
haveli. At the age of fifteen, she is thurst with the that I don‟t understand what I read” (Durrani,
responsibility of the household, where a slight mistake 1999, 104).
could call upon the wrath of Pir, at times kicking her, It becomes clear from Guppi‟s statement that
beating or inflicting abuses upon her. She gradually women don‟t understand what Quran says about
realised that Pir was a hypocrite, who concealed his them. They are deprived of the real meaning of it.
heinous crimes under the name of Allah. The “green Thus, the novel tells about the power of religious
chadder embroidered with the ninety-nine names of leaders in a society of illiterate people. Tehmina
Allah”(1999,44) that Pir wore over his shoulder is Durrani has successfully exposed the mullahs and
symbolic. It reflects the way Pir covered his crime and maulvis of Pakistan in black magic and makes the
misled people in the name of the divine. innocent people their followers. But when someone
Through the character of Pir Sain, Tehimna tries to point a finger at them, he or she is subdued by
shows the dark and secret lives of religious leaders saying that the accuser is guilty of Blasphemy.
who use Islam to attain power and exploit the weak. Thus Blasphemy is a serious comment on
Sain proclaimed himself a chosen one who has the the challenges faced by Muslim societies in general
power to communicate with Allah because of his holy and Muslim women in particular. The shattering
ancestry. Such religious leaders are shown to be identities of Islamic values and the deterioration of
imposters, who exploit people in the name of Allah. emotions in it are a commentary not on Islam but on
Toti, the supernatural woman in the novel who meets the struggle of Muslim against all that is contrary to
Heer, reveals to her that the „Shrine‟ was constructed what Islam stands for. Though it seems unbelievable
by the British, to control the people of their area, yet it remains a reality which is done under the
making the shrine a prosperous business, tormenting disguise of religion in our rural societies.
the people and making them suffer in the “hell they References
had created” (Durrani 1999,89). Thus power makes 1. Durrani, Tehmina. Blasphemy: A Novel. New
these religious leaders savages feeding upon their Delhi: Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 1998.
prey, religion being only a veil to cover up their 2. Hussain, M. (1998, november 22). “Blasphemy –
mistakes. After Taslima Nasrin‟s Lajja
It is not only Heer to be exploited and 3. Tehmina Durrani‟s.” Organiser.
violated physically, sexually and mentally by Pir Sain. 4. Majid, Anouar. (2005).‘The Politics of Feminism
There are many other women characters who become in Islam’. In Saliba, Therese | Allen, Carolyn |
victims in the hands of him. All female characters Howared, Juditha. Gender, Politics And Islam.
have no individual personality of their own self. Every India. Orient Longman Private Limited.
female servant in and around the haveli and Pir‟s 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/patriarchy.
wives have to obey him. They are never permitted to 6. www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?durrani+teh
think about their true identity and chastity. They mina
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ISSN No.

: 2394-0344 Remarking : Vol-2 * Issue-2*July-2015

Women and Religion in Pakistan:

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