In an earlier post here, I assured to share about narratives peddled by radical feminists and extreme leftists, which couldn't be covered earlier. Here goes.
When US President Donald Trump was about to visit our country for his 'Namaste Trump' program in Ahmedabad, I had a heated conversation with someone whom Daaman has been helping for over two years, and since then I wanted to pen this down concerning our Men's Rights Movement and Left-leaning components or supporters of Left's Feminist Movement, in it; Feminists in Men's Rights Movement you can say.
I am a person with firm belief and opinion that it's just not necessary to win every argument, so instances of heated conversations with anyone are rare in my life! Having been a part of Save Indian Family Movement, the Men's Rights Movement in India, for over a decade, I also very well understand that every measure that's required to be taken for Men's welfare in our country essentially has something or the other to do with feminism/leftists and gender-politics! And this leads to conflict.
The Conflict
Let's begin with an anecdote!
I have been closely following anti CAA [Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019] protests (you must be wondering what it has to do with gender issues or men's cause), also liked and made some social media posts, on which a 498A victim messaged me calling me 'BHAKT' and expressed that he was shocked to know that I not only support CAA, but also the Prime Minister Narendra Modi! On this I explained that first of all CAA has nothing to do with the citizenship of any Indian citizen and it's nothing more than a leftists' and feminists' divisive propaganda only to create chaos in society and this is something am opposed to; also shared what we published in our newsletter on 24/12/2019 after the internet services were restored, closed owing to violent anti CAA protests; as far as supporting Mr Modi or BJP is concerned, Daaman was among the strong supporters of NOTA in 2019 general elections! Also shared Daaman's pro-NOTA blogs.
He virtually got furious with me that to justify my wrong deed of supporting CAA, am intentionally adding feminists as propagandists. He didn't listen to me and said hell lot of things against my so-called bad ANDH BHAKT approach.
Though I was taken aback, still, thought that our state Uttar Pradesh almost always remains politically charged, maybe he vented some other frustration over here.
Strange Observation
After a few days of this incident, somehow a discussion came up in a WhatsApp group of MRAs when again raising alarm on leftists and feminist was construed as supporting the current BJP regime! It was specifically opined that we should remain neutral instead of opposing leftists/feminists as it adds support to BJP, and should concentrate only on gender bias that we fight against.
Things ought to be kept in mind, but preferably overlooked & conveniently turn a blind eye to
It was on 18 December 1979 that the United Nations (UN) adopted Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which defines discrimination against women as, “any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other”. India has signed and ratified CEDAW on 30th July 1980 and on 3rd September 1981, it entered into force as an international treaty.
To have a clear perception of how damaging this CEDAW has turned out to be for the families in our country, look no further than the fact that sec 498-A and 304-B were brought into the IPC in the year 1983 and 1986, respectively (not elaborating other issues men face here for the sake of brevity). What all laws and policies followed, compel thousands of men in India to commit suicide annually!
Now, in the name of defending women's fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other, leftists and feminists cover everything that fulfils their divisive and chaotic propaganda.
The purpose of penning this down is to try to understand how certain Men's Rights Activists (MRAs) end up supporting feminists' agenda while talking of men's rights, forgetting the fact that unlike feminists, we protest against gynocentrism in policies and laws not because we hate the society or country, but because we try to be instrumental for the change in laws to have a better society.
Feminists long to only create chaos in society, they don't shy being supporting Anti-Nationals and they are Anti-Hindu
It was in August 2018 when Daaman was the host of Save Indian Family Movement's 10th National Conference in Varanasi. On the third day of the meet, we organised a #PindDaan of Toxic Feminism as a protest against government's gynocentric policies that are all biased against men.
On 16th of August, 2018, Feminism In India (hereinafter referred to as FII) published an article 150 Men Perform The Last Rites Of Their Marriages A Bizarre Protest Against Feminismbashing our protest directly, with names. After this article, I added this organisation in my list to keep watch on. Recently, once again they published a confused article Does Feminism Encourage Man Hating And Breaking Families?
While following this organisation I observed that it is a pure leftist propaganda organisation, covering everything under the guise of an organisation working for women's cause, politicizing everything that suits their leftist agenda, apart from promoting gender-politics. Its influence is to the extent that on May 20th, 2020, Japleen Pasricha, it's Founder & Director, was live on the Facebook page of National Commission for Women, in a live session on "Consent & Sexuality".
Now, it's obvious that NCW is a known government body to work for women and FII getting space on NCW's Facebook page is no surprise. The obvious question, how this relates to CAA or how does this make it Leftist propagandist or Anti-Hindu?
FII, or for that matter any other feminist organizations only paddles leftists' agenda and pushes religious bigotry in the name of feminism and liberalism!
Karl Marx once said "religion is the opium of the people"; and leftists claim to be atheist! But this doesn't stand true as it is in the Indian context. Leftists may be atheists in their personal lives, but when it comes to creating hollow narratives to instigate hatred and violence, they choose a religion to oppose, as well as support and use it as opium to paddle their propaganda.
Nature of violence by leftists is not necessarily in direct connection to their ideology. Generally, they pick ground, paddle emotional propaganda capable enough to instigate hatred and then promote disproportionate reaction from the people who fall prey to their ideology, who in turn bring misery and mayhem not only for others but themselves as well, while the leftists watch sitting on the fence. This is exactly what happened in case of anti CAA riots! Here they used the combination of CAA and religion as ‘opium’.
Is CAA passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December a gender issue or a women's issue? For FII, it is! Check here.
In the name of protest against CAA, the country has witnessed large scale pre-planned and fully sponsored violence. Delhi especially witnessed severe violence claiming many men’s lives including those of police personnel and an intelligence officer.
Anti-CAA protests nationwide heard a huge roar of anti-national and anti-Hindu slogans. Anti-CAA protests witnessed everything including Article 370 abrogation and Ram Mandir being brought in. I can understand leftists have got everything to do with these, but what interest do feminists have here?
Also, FII is among leaders in 'Organizers and Collectives', 'Protest Resources', 'Donation Resources' for Students Against Hindutva Ideology and Holi Against Hindutva.
This feminist organisation support rioters and people like Sharjeel Imam who encourage treason and provoke protesters to wage war against the country.
Leave FII aside, observe any other feminist organisation and see if it deviate even a bit from their leftist agenda. There have been many instances in the past where we have seen the foreign-funded feminist organizations using funds for wrong purposes.
In the context of men's cause
Once implicated in false cases of gender-biased laws, men feel agitated and hurt to the core, wishing a change in laws immediately, and to those inclined, this is where leftist thoughts come as easy respite and an option to vent the frustrations, sadness, and anger out! For few people, talking leftist appears high, intellectual and woke. What gets overlooked is that in reality, leftist ideology promotes mindless and blind hatred for peace and tranquillity in any developing society. Still, few men prefer this, entirely ignorant of the fact that they are supporting their enemy.
The success of leftists in brainwashing 135 crore for 70 long years can be measured with a fact that even those men who's lives are devastated due to this cruel ideology are themselves not aware of it and keep fighting and opposing the governments, irrespective of the party in power, which in turn strengthens these leftists. Our society has been indoctrinated in a way that even when we are well aware of the reality, we choose not to react and avoid seeking answers to correct questions.
Don't we need to understand as to why well established feminist organisations collect and manage funds for anti CAA protests and demands release of those arrested for rioting?
Don't we need to understand how and why feminist organisations support and demand the release of Sharjeel Imam? By what definition these are women's rights issue?
It's high time, we must try and understand the bitterness, hatred, antagonism, animosity, resentment, vindictiveness, narcissism and verbal as well as emotional cruelty leftists carry against our harmonious and inclusive society.
To understand as to how and why irresponsible and misandric comments like ‘A son is a son until he gets a wife. A daughter is a daughter throughout her life.’, come from judicial officers, we first and foremost need to understand as to why ignoring all the protests, Succession Act was passed for Hindus in 1956 as part of Hindu code bills, when there existed a proper system of succession & mutual family property partition practice since ages in Hindus, whereas, as we have been taught in school books also, Mughals didn't have any rule of succession, therefore there used to be struggle and blood bath among siblings for the throne! Does CEDAW cover only Hindu women?
But, instead of searching answers to these questions in the light of the facts that a left-aligned women's movement that talked of parity for ‘oppressed Indian women’ at large was in place even before the independence and even though, after independence in 1947, the All India Women's Conference continued to operate, the Communist Party of India formed its wing known as the National Federation of Indian Women in 1954! In my opinion, the passing of Hindu code bills codifying Hindu marriage, succession, guardianship, and maintenance under the divisive ideological process started by Britishers was an achieved milestone for the feminists in India!
Just imagine, why everything starting from Hindu code bills passed in 1955-56, comprising the Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, and Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, to any other recent gender-biased law seems to be having leftist influence. I don't see any difference in the anti-Hindu approach of the fifties and today's Students Against Hindutva Ideology and Holi Against Hindutva approach from feminists.
In the initial days of leftists in India, whenever feminists talked of ‘oppressed Indian women’, they referred to Sati pratha and claimed that traditionally wives in Hindus were forced to sit atop her deceased husband’s funeral pyre (Chita)! This Sati pratha narrative of ‘forcing’ a woman to die on her husband’s Chita is nothing more than false propaganda.
Neither am trying to say that Sati never existed nor am justifying someone committing Sati. But the reality is that nowhere in any Hindu scripture, there is any mention of Sati. The fraud related to the misinterpretation of Rigveda 10.18.7-8 that describes a funeral, was exposed by none other than Maxmuller. In this mantra, the widow was advised to go ahead (Agre) in her life rather than go in funeral pyre (Agne means fire) after her husband’s death.
Talking in terms of historic and comparative recent date, there are certain points to ponder on feminist’s hollow narratives around Sati. You can go through them in detail at Changing Gender Roles amid Gender Politics.
Without any malice to anyone, with due respect and no offence! To understand the religious bigotry being pushed, to counter the ongoing feminist activities and leftists' interest in Sabarimala and Shani-Shingnapur and their cry over Hindu traditions like Kanya Daan, Nav Ratri, Karwa Chauth, Raksha Bandhan, Teej etc, we first also need to understand as to why age-old sacred practice at a religious place is under attack and being deliberately compared with untouchability and calling everything oppressive and discriminatory, while going stilly over Chapter 7 verse 26, Chapter 24 verse 31, Chapter 33 verse 59 of Quran, or Judges 19:25-28, Exodus 21: 7-8, Ephesians 5:22 of Bible, or for that matter any other religious texts that religious reformers call oppressive? Is the UN interested in Hinduism only? Are the women of other religions beyond the ambit of CEDAW?
We and our Save Indian Family Movement fully respect all the religions. We do not discriminate in protesting against anything based on religion. The way everyone in the movement jointly opposed the proposed Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, the same way we opposed Triple Talaq Bill and are opposing the proposed UCC!
Now, people who have a dual mindset like who are left-inclined ideologically and are victims of feminism, aka gender-bias in laws, face hardships in adjusting to the scenario when it's beyond the issue of feminism that affects them directly. Their acceptance of the inherent cruelty of left's feminist ideology is only because they got to taste its venom.
Also, among the most problematic part is that even constructive criticisms towards the aforementioned left-leaning/leftist deeds are termed as bigotry, phobias or right-winger and the person is named BHAKT.
It's alarming to note that few men's rights advocates(?) deny even to accept that feminism is a basic leftist ideology.
Conclusion
It's high time that those who take interest in advocating for men's rights should try and analyse the CEDAW's definition of discrimination against women, with special focus on "human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other” in today’s context, because on one side, leftists and feminists are paddling their divisive propaganda round the clock with full strength, and on the other hand majority of the men's rights movement is focused only on the gender-politics part of the leftist ideology. Feminists' gender-politics is only a male victimising and family dis-harmonising tool of the leftist ideology, which focuses only on destroying the family system and creating chaos on the society.
The path that men's rights activists choose is that not many around us have chosen, even though the gender-bias in society and it's victims are increasing every passing day, we are very few when compared to the number of feminists or misandric people we get to witness regularly. Considering the numbers in our support gains even more importance if we have to sincerely work around some political option.
We must also understand that the gender-bias is not just a govt problem, though it appears as we get to see all biased policies coming from the government side; the problem is of an ideology which no doubt is in an overpowering situation and gaining strength every passing day.
We have seen Congress and BJP in power, be it in the centre or state level, and both the regimes have one thing in common, i.e. ‘badly influenced by feminists’! Congress created numerous biased laws against men and BJP has only continued with the trend. This brings us to a conclusion that no matter which political party is there in power, feminists have complete influence over gender-based policies and laws! And this brings us to yet another conclusion that no matter which party is there in power, it's the left's feminist ideology that's behind the gynocentrism and misandry we get to see in policies and laws. So meaning thereby, this feminists ideology needs to be opposed the strongest, irrespective of the party in power! Needless to say, other political parties haven't cared for men's cause, so undoubtedly NOTA for them as a protest.
But, what I observed, on the contrary, is that the personal political inclinations of few members are more important to them than opposing the very basic ideology that is not only distorting the social fabric of the country but has also affected their own lives.
In my opinion, by not opposing leftists and their ideologies in every sphere possible and keeping our battle restricted only to gender-issues, we will be guilty of complicity!