Day 4: freedom

It’s funny that some of the western countries trying to ‘mediate’ in Libya and Syria today, trying so very hard (!) to give the Libyans and the Syrians their freedom have completely forgotten a simple mantra of ‘practice before you preach’!

I am not here to write some philosophical or political viewpoint but just being honest to what I feel: take France for example, stands up for liberty and equality and yet chooses to adopt the burkha (naqaab) ban law. Now, I personally may not believe in wearing one and covering my face but I respect other people’s choices- I have a few friends who never wore one but wear it today: they are still my friends! The west tolerates nudity in the form of cinema, TV, people wearing (or not wearing anything) skimpy clothes on the road… so if someone is comfortable in not “showing”, what is the problem? A lot of women wear the burkha today out of  choice and not out of compulsion so all that talk about freeing the oppressed and hence adopting the law, I feel is stupidity! The last time I remember we were living in the 21st century…. or maybe I am mistaken, maybe we still live in a world where “civilized” and “modern” means wearing western clothing and the rest all is “native wear”??

I agree eveything is not black and white but only IF we maintained the balance… The west still feels superior to the rest of the world for their values and principles on  secularism, human rights, freedom of speech and expression; which are all very well but then why the double standards? Did they forget human rights when they were bombing Iraq or Afghanistan? Oh no, at that time it was protecting their people… protecting from whom may I ask- the Iraqi/Afghani people who were going out to work from their humble homes for a daily living and got killed on the way? Yes, it is very sad seeing soldiers die in “war” today but there are hundreds more people in different parts of the world getting butchered in the name of religion, suicide bombings, honour, dowry… they don’t seem to make “good” news so let’s just focus on the next Katie Price or the ‘war on terror’!

I know my thoughts written above are all ramblings and may seem disjointed but there is so much going on inside my head and I wish to express some (if not all) through my artworks. I have tried to bring up issues that affect me in the past and infact today made a painting in acrylics, “the death of freedom”.

If anyone gets a chance to watch ‘Osama’, please do- a 2003 film made in Afghanistan, a story of a young girl living under the Taliban regime.