Many news agencies including Reuters, The Guardian and CNN reported on Friday, 30th May 2014 about the growing outrage in India over two shocking rape cases as the new government said it was planning to set up a special crisis cell to ensure justice for victims of sex attacks. On Thursday, it emerged that two teenagers from a low caste had been found hanging from a tree after being gang-raped in their village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Amnesty International said the gang rape of the cousins showed that women from lower castes “face multiple levels of discrimination and violence” despite “the existence of constitutional safeguards and special laws.” New Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a report on the attack, a ministry spokesman said.

Securing the sanctity, honor and lives of women has become one of the greatest problems of India lately. India has been labeled as the rape capital of the world. According to a news report published in Press Trust of India on 14th January 2014 a ten-fold jump has been recorded as rape cases since 1971 have left behind other heinous crimes like murders and kidnappings, indicating decay in moral fabric in the country. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 2,487 incidents of rape in 1971 while in 2012, the figure was 24,923 – showing a ten-time increase.

Although the discrimination against women and lower castes dates back to thousands of years of Hindu religion and culture, which willfully presents women, especially the women of lower castes as unwanted, degraded and cheap objects; but now the western influx of Capitalist, Liberal ideas has doubled the problem where women are yet once again portrayed as commodities to sell goods and make money out of their feminism. During the reign of Islam in India, for one thousand years, the implementation of Islamic laws along with the just judicial system of Islam reduced this problem to almost nil. But after that the Capitalism has destroyed the honor and sanctity of women not only in India but all over the world, including neighboring Pakistan, where only last month a girl was gang raped in car and then thrown out of it, in the northern city of Mansehra, who luckily survived.

What these Indian and Pakistani governments fail to realize is that, no matter how many laws they pass, how many crisis centers they establish and how many officials they dismiss over such incidents, this issue of protection of life and honor of women cannot be solved in presence of this rotten and bygone Capitalist system. This is because the whole idea of Capitalist system revolves around as much increase in the capital as possible, by any means possible, which include selling the femininity of women in form of advertisements, films and dramas. The mega –billion Bollywood industry presents women as scantily clad, cheap and superficial objects, readily available for disposal of men folk. And these governments consider this a part of freedom of expression and personal freedom, as protected under the flawed Capitalist system; while in reality this concept of ultimate human freedom of this ideology is the cause of misery of men and women alike. This concept of freedom encourages the people to fulfill their immoral desires without any checks and limits and without any fear of retribution because of the decayed judicial and police system. So, on one hand, the people are shown a wrong and unreal image of women and on the other hand, every possible hurdle is put in the way of early marriages, paving the means for illegal and extra marital relationships. Similarly the education system and media promotes not only the culture of free mixing but also a twisted image of women. Man made laws also can never solve this problem, no matter how many these governments make and try to implement.

Only correct laws and correct legal system which swiftly works, can punish the criminals in a befitting manner, to be a lesson for all even thinking about such a heinous crime. Therefore the real cause of such inhumane treatment of women is the absence of Divine system of laws given to us by the Creator Himself, which are implemented under the Islamic Khilafah State by a Khalifah elected by the people and given bayah on the condition of implementation of Islam upon them. This is because the Creator knows His creation more than we know ourselves and the limitedness of human mind can not foresee beyond a certain limit. Unless this termite-ridden and hollow Capitalist system is replaced by the just and fair Islamic system of ruling, Khilafah, lives and dignity of women can never be secured. As under this state, the social, judicial and ruling systems of Islam work altogether to protect the women, along with the education and media policies that guarantee the correct moral infrastructure in the society, which was witnessed for 1300 years under the Khilafah state. So the woman is protected, cared for, respected, honored and works for the betterment of society in harmony with men, without the fear of being harassed, attacked or ridiculed. She is valued as a human being and not portrayed as a sex symbol, so she can positively use her talents and pursue her career after fulfillment of her primary role as a mother, wife and daughter. Also a fair justice system and a corruption free police system, which is answerable to the Khalifah for its every action, ensures the protection of women. Hence the need of the hour is establishment of Khilafah state immediately.

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ امْرَأَةَ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ أَتَتْ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الْوَلِيدَ يَضْرِبُهَا وَقَالَ نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ فِي حَدِيثِهِ تَشْكُوهُ قَالَ قُولِي لَهُ قَدْ أَجَارَنِي قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَلَمْ تَلْبَثْ إِلَّا يَسِيرًا حَتَّى رَجَعَتْ فَقَالَتْ مَا زَادَنِي إِلَّا ضَرْبًا فَأَخَذَ هُدْبَةً مِنْ ثَوْبِهِ فَدَفَعَهَا إِلَيْهَا وَقَالَ قُولِي لَهُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ أَجَارَنِي فَلَمْ تَلْبَثْ إِلَّا يَسِيرًا حَتَّى رَجَعَتْ فَقَالَتْ مَا زَادَنِي إِلَّا ضَرْبًا فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ وَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ عَلَيْكَ الْوَلِيدَ أَثِمَ بِي مَرَّتَيْن (1257 مسند أحمد بن حنبل مسند العشرة المبشرين بالجنة مسند الخلفاء الراشدين)

Ali ibn Abu Talib reported: The wife of Al-Waleed ibn Uqbah came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and she complained to him saying, “O Messenger of Allah! Indeed, Al-Waleed has beaten me!” The Prophet said, “Say to him: he has protected me.” She did not stay but for a while until she returned and she said, “He did not give me anything except more beatings!” The Prophet tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and he said, “Say to him: Verily, the Messenger of Allah has given me protection.” She did not stay but for a while until she returned and she said, “He did not give me anything except more beatings!” The Prophet raised his hands and he said, “O Allah, you must deal with Al-Waleed for he has sinned against me twice.” (Source: Musnad Ahmad 10745, Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Ibn Kathir.)

Written for The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Umm Musab

Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir