Women Activists
Women Activists: Recently, armed men shot and killed Yanar Mohammed outside her home in Iraq. She was a well-known women’s rights activist. She was 66 years old and had returned to Iraq from Canada a few days earlier. During her life, she bravely fought for women’s rights. She spoke against honour killings, domestic violence, and religious extremism. She also built safe houses in Iraq. These shelters protected many women from abuse and exploitation. In a 2022 interview, she talked about the suffering of women who ISIS had enslaved and abused. She said that ISIS had victimized at least 10,000 women.
Voices Under Threat
This tragic incident shows the dangers women face when they defend women’s rights in many Muslim countries, including Pakistan. Everyone knows that speaking about women’s issues can be risky. Activists like Yanar Mohammed often receive many death threats.
Even today, women who speak openly about women’s rights in the Muslim world receive threats. Men send these threats through Instagram, emails, text messages, and other platforms. Many activists ignore these messages. They accept them as a harsh result of speaking in societies where people expect women to remain silent.
Violence and Misinterpretation
Sometimes these threats turn into real violence. Attackers target both famous activists and young women. For example, someone killed a young TikTok star, Sana Yousaf. In many cases, society sees independent women as a threat. Some men feel angry when a woman refuses to accept male authority. If she criticizes the exploitation of women by groups like ISIS or rejects a man’s advances, people may punish her.
In many cases, people target women because of strict interpretations of religion. Some people claim that women should not appear in public life or hold leadership roles. They use religion to justify cultural restrictions on women. However, history shows a different reality. Hazrat Khadija, the first Muslim woman, was a successful businesswoman.
Challenging Traditions
People also criticize women who choose their own marriage partners or ask for divorce. Religion clearly forbids forced marriages and allows women to seek divorce. However, many traditional societies still treat these choices as improper behavior for women. Over time, religious scholars have challenged these rigid interpretations. Some women scholars have also joined this effort. Because of this work, many educated Pakistanis now question these outdated ideas.
Online Misogyny
However, hatred toward women still exists. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok contain many insults and hateful comments about women. Every year, people celebrate International Women’s Day. At the same time, social media fills with mockery and criticism. Some people claim that women’s activism is only for show. Others insult women who call themselves feminists. Even some men who call themselves progressive make such comments.
Imported Misogyny
Recently, people have started using new language to attack women. Many men copy this language from Western online culture. Some Pakistani men follow online figures like Andrew Tate. This ideology describes women as greedy, unintelligent, or inferior to men.
This new form of anti-feminism supports male control over women. Supporters believe that men must control women to stay powerful. Some Western men promote this idea because they feel frustrated. They believe women have gained too much independence in their societies.
Courage Amid Threats
Pakistani society is different from Western societies. However, many men in Pakistan still copy this hateful language from the internet. This behavior strengthens the existing negative attitudes toward women.
Because of this, many Pakistani women receive hateful messages when they speak about women’s rights on International Women’s Day. Still, women can learn from the courage of activists like Yanar Mohammed. Despite threats and danger, these women continue to speak the truth and defend women’s rights.
Published in Dawn, 7th March 2026
