The curious case of Mohsin Abbas and his wife

BY ALI NAQVI –

Physical violence or abuse is not acceptable. That’s the bottom line. But the question is, has Mohsin Abbas Haider committed the crime? We often dissolve the boundaries between a moral principle and the idea of justice.

Amid press conferences, tweets, statements and allegations Mohsin Abbas and his wife Fatima Sohail has messed things up for themselves. There are only two possibilities. Number one, Fatima Sohial is right. She was physically abused by Mohsin Abbas. Number two, there is also a possibility that she might be wrong and her husband is right. In that case whatever Mohsin has said so far is true.

The most important point is not who is wrong or who is right. The point is that media or the people at large are not and should not be the judge. But most unfortunately the couple has allowed people to point fingers at them no matter who is right or who isn’t. All our sympathies should be with Fatima if she was wronged but who are we to judge that.

All we hear are stories rather point of views. Mohsin has one, Fatima another. Let the court hear them both and punish the guilty. This incident brings to the fore a deeper issue that lies buried under our hypocritical social values.

Woman is inferior to man is the idea that has plagued the minds of men through centuries. The idea still thrives in places where lack of education has nourished it with prejudice, selfishness and the illusion of honor.

An act of domestic violence is a recurring phenomenon that goes unreported. On social media the self-proclaimed intellectuals and so called liberals are quick to give their verdict in favor of Fatima Sohail. But none of them shows enough courage to identify the ghost that lurks in the gloomy shadows of ignorance prevalent everywhere in our society.

We are an ‘old school’ male dominated society. This dominance is supported by our old cultural norms that also reflect in our laws. Being a champion of women rights is permissible but to talk about lawmaking in this regard is taboo.

All that counts for us is the façade that should look rosy no matter how ugly, hideous and rotten we are from the inside. There is no need to be judgmental about this particular case. We should try to find out what are the factors that encourage men to such barbarous acts. Let’s realize that humanity has developed morality for the common good not vice versa.