Entry into the temple is forbidden: Why do women protest in India
alexander savina
In early January in the Indian state of Kerala was held a huge protest: hundreds of thousands of women lined up in a living wall about 620 kilometers long. The reason for the action was the ban on visiting the Hindu temple in Sabarimala, where women aged 10-50 years had not been allowed in for many years: in September, the Indian Supreme Court declared it illegal, but a huge part of the population did not like this decision. We understand what is happening in Kerala and why the decision to allow women into the temple causes such protests.
The temple at Sabarimala is far from the only one in India, where women face restrictions. In many traditionalist Hindu communities, a woman is considered “unclean” during menstruation, which is why during this period she can be completely banned from visiting certain sacred sites. Nevertheless, the ban in Sabarimala is much tougher than others: it applies to all women from 10 to 50 years, that is, all who are in theory biologically capable of conception. This is not only due to menstruation: Ayyappa, the cult deity of the temple, is believed to have taken a vow of celibacy - traditionally only older women and men were allowed into the temple to help the deity keep the vow. This continued until the fall of last year: at the end of September, the Supreme Court of India declared the ban illegal. "You can not allow the patriarchal traditions that are preserved in religion, to prevent sincere faith and freedom to practice their religion and speak openly about it," said the chairman of the Supreme Court Deepak Mizra.
However, in practice, everything was not so simple. According to media reports, from November to December more than a dozen women, among whom were journalists, tried to get to the temple, but they were not allowed to do so. Despite the help of the police, the crowd finally stopped them all - the men began to push the women and throw stones at them, because of which they had to leave. One of the loudest cases occurred in October: then two women managed to walk about five kilometers to the temple complex, accompanied by more than a hundred police officers. Nevertheless, women could not reach the end - just a few meters from the temple itself, they were forced to turn around due to the resistance of the crowd. Retiana Fathima, a thirty-two-year-old activist, shortly after her unsuccessful attempt, put herself on Facebook: she is black in the photo (this is how pilgrims go to Sabarimala), her face is painted and she sits in a pose that refers to Ayiappa. Shortly thereafter, the woman was arrested: the photo was considered “obscene” and “insulting the feelings of believers” - probably because Rehana’s image shows a bare knee.
For the first time, women were able to get to the temple only on December 24, three months after the court decision. Bindu Ammin, a forty-two-year-old, and Kanaka Durga, a forty-four-year-old, turned to the police for help — but one of the police officers accompanying the women who wanted to remain anonymous told Reuters because they were afraid of reprisals from the protesters, their attempt was due to the fact that women came before dawn. when the temple first opened, and in the dark it was easier for them to pass. According to one of the women, they entered the territory of the complex at half past one in the morning, and got into the temple itself two hours later, at half past three in the morning.
The ban in Sabarimala is much tougher than others: it applies to all women from 10 to 50 years, that is, everyone who is in theory biologically capable of conceiving
After visiting women, the temple itself was closed for a short time for "cleansing", and protests began in Kerala: residents of the state took to the streets, interfered with traffic and staged demonstrations at government buildings. Quite quickly, the protests turned into armed clashes with the police - only in the first two days several hundred people were arrested and about sixty policemen were injured; protesters attacked dozens of buses and about ten police cars. The ultra-right state organizations that are supported by the ruling party of India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BDP), called for a mass strike and the closure of educational institutions. Schools and shops really closed down, albeit not because of the boycott, but because of the fear of unrest, despite the fact that the state government, which supports the decision of the Supreme Court, has increased security measures.
It is difficult to speak about the situation in Sibarimala in isolation from politics. The reaction to the situation turned out to be primarily painted: for example, the ruling party of the BDP country strongly opposes admitting women to the temple and maintains religious traditions - the Communist Party of India, ruling in Kerala, on the contrary, requires change. The President of the BJP stated that the courts should not make decisions contrary to the faith of people that the people cannot implement. And the country's prime minister, Narendra Modi, in a recent interview said that it’s not a matter of gender inequality or politics, but in religious traditions, he says, there are temples in the country, where men are not allowed.
Nevertheless, Sabarimala shows how acute the issue of women's rights is in the country. In India, selective abortions are still common - there are 100 girls for 110 boys born. Many women are victims of aggression, harassment and rape. One of the most notorious cases of recent years occurred in 2012: a girl was beaten and raped by six men, and later died from her injuries. At the same time, the police are often unable to protect the victims: for example, last year a resident of Uttar Pradesh was doused with acid for the fifth time, despite the fact that after previous attacks (in addition to attacks with acid, she also experienced gang rape) she was protected by the police. It is not surprising that women in Kerala came out to protest: on January 1, hundreds of thousands of women of different backgrounds formed a living wall about 620 kilometers long.
According to the survey, which leads The Guardian, almost three-quarters of the population of Kerala do not support the decision to let women into the temple in Sabarimala. Whether public opinion will affect the fate of the temple and the struggle for the rights of women, we find out in the near future: on January 22, the Supreme Court will consider several applications demanding to cancel its previous decision.
Cover: Getty images