Submitted by Cayce_Crown on

66 and gone

Categories
Politics

The Ouija board "told" me 50 years ago that I would die at the ripe age of 63. I've still got a few months until I'm 64, not going anywhere yet...


Asma Jahangir died in February at the young age of 66. She is another powerful woman that I only heard of in death.


From the NY Times: She was the founding chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent group, and was a trustee of the International Crisis Group. She won international awards and served as the United Nations rapporteur on human rights and extrajudicial killings.

Ms. Jahangir never minced words while defending democracy and human rights, despite threats to her life, both from military dictators and militants. She championed the rights of religious minorities — especially those who were charged under the country’s blasphemy laws — and women and men killed in the name of honor.

 

Asma quote


From Wiki: In 1980, Jahangir and her sister, Hina Jalani, got together with fellow activists and lawyers to form the first law firm established by women in Pakistan. In the same year they also helped form the Womens Action Forum (WAF), a pressure group campaigning against Pakistan's discriminatory legislation, most notably against the Proposed Law of Evidence, where the value of a woman's testimony was reduced to half that of a man's testimony, and the Hadood Ordinances, where victims of rape had to prove their innocence or else face punishment themselves.


When Jahangir undertook the case of Saima Sarwar in 1999, who was given shelter at Dastak after leaving her husband, wanting a divorce and later gunned down by her family in an act of "honor killing", Jahangir received death threats for representing Saima in her divorce proceedings.


“Yes, I am very unhappy, extremely anguished at human rights violations against Kashmiris in India or against Rohingyas in Burma or, for that matter, Christians in Orissa,” Ms. Jahangir told Herald. “But obviously I am going to be more concerned of violations taking place in my own house because I am closer to the people who I live with. I have more passion for them.”


She added, “I think it sounds very hollow if I keep talking about the rights of Kashmiris but do not talk about the rights of a woman in Lahore who is butchered to death.”


She survived death threats, being arrested, harassed and public humiliation, but perhaps not smoking, she died of a heart attack.


 

No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them. - Elie Weisel

Comments

Cayce Crown

It was 50 years ago.
Would love to hear your thoughts on Asma, Saima or Elie.
Rona Gura

I haven't done a Ouija board since sleep away camp. I remember slightly pushing it towards the answer I wanted. I guess I'm a Ouija board cheat.
Gideon Schein

Very impressive woman ideed. My AP history teacher in High School told us that if we really wanted to follow and learn about history, we should read the obituaries every day. I have more or less done that for the past 50+ years on three continentsnand sicsovered how right he was. Women like Asma pop up all the time.
Cayce Crown

It is a good way to learn history, Id like to learn to appreciate/emulate these heroines before they are gone...
Kelly Welles

Visualize that ouija board flooded in violet light. Just in case. Besides...your work is far from finished.-
Obits have also been one of my greatest educators. Thanks for bringing the heroic and noble deeds of Amma Jahangir to our attention.
Corey Bearak

There were probably other articles on Amma Jahangir. I opt not to regularly check out obits.
Cayce Crown

Yes, throughout her life there were some articles, but I didnt see them, hope to find these inspirers while they are still alive. Thanks for your comment.

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