Human beings are called as social animals and tools makers. They are differentiated from other animals because of these characteristics. Human life is not static but evolutionary with gradual changes that often go un-noticed. So human life and society is not the same at all levels and at all times. Society and communities have their own peculiar and distinct way of life and practices. This is due to socio- cultural values that are bound to and derivative of the means and ways of income and production. Some of these socio-cultural and economic values are consistent through different human periods and others undergo change with the passage of time. But one thing is obvious that each society has its own pre-requisites and pressing demands fulfilling the needs of the time and societal structures. Human life has passed through various stages including the following main periods.
· Hunting/ Communal Society
· Tribal society
· Slavery
· Feudal Society
· Industrial Society.
Our present society is very complex due to the shades of all the above mentioned stages. We have socio-cultural and economic values relating to tribal, agrarian and industrial stages of human life but over all we are most affected by our feudal culture and traditions. Our society has not yet benefited fully from the dynamics of industrial development.
The Pukhtoon code of life is tribal, feudalistic and patriarchal. Man dominates In the Pukhtoon society and women is an appendage. Pushto literature is rich in proverbs and idioms indicating the dominance of man and the secondary and even inferior status of women. In critically analyzing the stereotype concept of man and women in our society, we get two different columns, i.e. Manliness, bravery on the male side and vulnerability and weaknesses on the female side. If a woman does show strength and courage, she is exhibiting manly characteristics and if a man show cowardice or weakness then he is termed as feminine. A man can expose his body but a woman has to be bound to a veil. Modesty and chastity is for woman a woman alone, a man is outside the pail of these parameters. It is acceptable for a man to be aggressive but women are to be faithful and loyal. When man speaks loudly he is called tiger and if woman speaks loudly she is at a risk of being doubted as a loose character.
The Pushtoon code is based very strongly on the social values of PUKHTOONWALI and GHAIRAT (honor). The interpretation of the concept of GHAIRAT is largely in light of the characteristic attributed to man and manliness, sometimes to the extent that embracing death or killing some one for the sake of honor is considered as a vital part of it. The positive interpretation of the concept is the protection of the weak and standing up to oppressors.
The application of these concepts and the practices around it are full of contradictions. For example, showing helplessness before might and oppressing the weak and the vulnerable, and the mighty and the strong being exempted from social sanctions for their high-handedness and even illegal acts. There is a saying in Pushto:
Pe Kamzooro, Khalq Khapala Azizwalai Pakhawi.
(Family relations are strengthened on the basis of poor relatives)
Oba Pa Kamzoori Zai Mategi
(Water finds its way at weak spots)
It is not uncommon that when social and religious values are in conflict, society gives precedence to social values over religious ones. Even religious leaders support and even protect the social traditions and values in the garb of having religious background. For example, Islam gives women the right to inheritance but Pukhtoon society conveniently stays silent about it and makes it a point to resist the practice. Similarly, Islam does not allow the right to take human life but social values and traditions have overtaken this aspect of religion and killing takes place all around us in the name of honor.
The concept of GHAIRAT is of full of contradictions and in some cases it has almost opposite meaning. For example, when a girl leaves her parent’s home to get married to a person of her own choice, she has shamed her parents and brought about dishonour on them. On the other hand, the family to which she has gone makes it a matter of their honour (GHAIRAT) to protect her and dishonor to let her go back to her parent. Thus GHAIRAT of one family is the dishonor of the other family.
To summarise:
· Each society has certain values that also carry contradictions.
· These social values are never static but are evolutionary and ever changing though with an unnoticeable pace in time.
· Religious leaders and sections not only make compromises with social values but also become their advocates.
· These social norms and values are primarily practiced by and applied to the weaker sections of the society. The strong and mighty can be a law to themselves and place themselves above all social norms and values.
Our society is also roughly classified into upper, middle and lower classes. The social values and norms are not applied equally on all these classes. For example, the tradition of PURDA is most zealously observed in the middle class. The upper and lower classes are less conscious of it. Similarly, the concept of honor (Ghairat) has different meanings and interpretations in all these three sections of the society.
Honor killing represents such a contradictory social value. It is feudal in nature, based on the superiority and dominance of man over woman, the consideration of woman not only as weak but also as property of the male. The concept of honor killing is contradictory to our cultural and literacy values. It is also in contradiction with religious dictates but unfortunately it has the support of the some religious sections.