Taboos in Pakistani socity

A taboo is a vehement prohibition of an action based on the belief that such behavior is either too sacred or too accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake, under threat of supernatural punishment.

There are number of taboos in Pakistani society but we discussed some of major taboos in this regard which are as follow:

·        Dowry

·        Satanic & Black magic

·        Honor killing (karo kari)

·        Child marriage (Vani)

·        Watta Satta

Dowry:

“Dowry is not a Mare Evil

It is a Mother of Many Evils”

Marriage is one of the religious obligations and an inseparable relation between two persons, infect two families, but the more Burden is on a woman to keep this relation especially in a male dominant society. In formal point of review, marriage becomes strengthen but in some cases it becomes weak. Dowry is a kind of compensation which is given by the parents of Bride to the Groom or his parents. It may be cash amount, some furniture, vehicle or other kind of house used products. It has become a common exercise in the modern age too even after so many organizations and NGOs are working to protect the women rights and to fight against the Dowry System. The society and human behavior decide the customs in the life course. In the society of Pakistan, there are different customs and doings in the functions of wedding done by the families of bride and groom, but, one thing which is common in most of the weddings is the trend of Dowry.

Dowry is a dreadful and unethical practice.  It is not a practice for which there is religious sanction, but it continues to be practiced in many countries of the world today. If we say this is common among the illiterate or uneducated people; we will be wrong because even the educated people own this system with pride. Even in the big cities like Lahore and Karachi, we can easily find many examples of this system and the issues after marriage for not giving dowry. As in 1999’s report, there were almost 60 cases of Burning Bride for not giving dowry. The people have made this system a symbol of their status to show others. However dowry abuse cases are low after 2001 in Pakistan. A concept is that the parents of groom spent a lot of their money in goring their son up and according to the parents of groom they demand that amount from the parents of bride which they have spent in upbringing their son and educating him. Another finding is that the dowry paid has a negative intercept, when no wet land owned by husband as well as no secondary education husband father is completed. The only thing which can stop the dowry system in the entire world is the social change. The phenomenon of social change is as old as civilization itself. No society is completely static and away from the change and thus government of Pakistan and NGOs working in Pakistan for the rights of women (e.g. Aurat Foundation, shirkat Gah – Woman Resource center, Woman Rights Association,Tehreek e Niswa, Woman Shade, Blue Veins and all Pakistan women association etc) can change the mind of groom and his parents and can open up the related issues. If the only groom is aware enough, he can surely stop his parents from this crime.

Satanic & Black Magic:

Black magic is very common in India. Hindus were always the culprits when it came to practicing it and Muslims with weak faith followed suit. It is understandable that Muslims in India always copy Hindus because they live with them and I also understand the spread of black magic in the Middle East and the West since Hindus have emigrated there. Pakistan is an Islamic state with one of the highest percentage of Muslims in the world. Pakistan is plagued with black magic. Every second house seems to be affected by it. Jealous relatives have nothing better to do in life than practice it. Many houses are ruined due to believing in black magic.

In Pakistan, mental illness and psychological problems are considered by some to be an encounter with Shaitan (Satan), evil jinns or demons who have taken over one's body and mind. It is also assumed that it is caused by the black magic performed by enemies and jealous persons. People, especially children and young girls, wear Ta'wiz (Amulet) to ward off evil eye. Spells, incantations and curses could also result in ghouls haunting a person. Some homes and places are also believed to be haunted by evil ghosts (Bhoot), satanic or other supernatural beings and they could haunt people living there especially during the night. Muslim holy persons (Pir/faqirs, Maulvis, and Mullahs) perform exorcism on individuals who are believed to be possessed. The penchant for black magicians spans Pakistani society, from the rich landlords of the rural areas to the urban classes of Lahore and Karachi. The villagers of Rajanpur rural Punjab call upon a Pir believed to be endowed with mystical powers that can purify contaminated water after severe floods. Pakistanis from all walks of life routinely turn to faith healers to remedy various health problems, from Abdominal pain to Epilepsy, avert marriage meltdowns and financial crises and even fend off the powers of other healers.

Honor killing (karo kari):

Karo-Kari is an act of murder, in which a person is killed for his or her actual or perceived immoral behavior. Such "immoral behavior" may take the form of alleged marital infidelity, refusal to submit to an arranged marriage, demanding a divorce, perceived flirtatious behavior and being raped. Suspicion and accusations alone are many times enough to defile a family’s honor and therefore enough to warrant the killing of the woman.

In Pakistan, honor killing is known locally as karo-kari (کاروکاری‎). Karo-kari is a compound word literally meaning "black male" (Karo) and "black female (Kari). Originally, Karo and Kari were metaphoric terms for adulterer and adulteress, but it has come to be used with regards to multiple forms of perceived immoral behavior. Once a woman is labeled as a Kari, family members consider themselves to be authorized to kill her and the co-accused Karo in order to restore family honor. In the majority of cases, the victim of the attacks is female with her attackers being male members of her family or community. Every year many people were killed in this regard and government did not take any action to eliminate this brutal killing in a society.

Child Marriage (vani):

Vani is a cultural custom found in parts of Pakistan wherein young girls are forcibly married as part of punishment for a crime committed by her male relatives. Vani is a form of arranged child marriage and the result of punishment decided by a council of tribal elders named jirga. This custom started almost 400 years ago when two northwestern Pakistani Pashtun tribes fought a bloody war against each other. During the war, hundreds were murdered. The Nawab, regional ruler, settled the war by calling a Jirga of elders from both sides. The elders decided that the dispute and crime of men be settled by giving their girls as Qisas, a retaliatory punishment. The custom became illegal in Pakistan effective 2011; however, the practice continues. Recently the courts in Pakistan have begun taking serious note and action against the continuation of the practice.

Watta Satta:

Watta satta, literally give-take, is a form of bride exchange, currently common in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Watta satta involves the simultaneous marriage of a brother-sister pair from two households. In some cases, it involves uncle-niece pairs, or cousin pairs. This form of marriage in Pakistan is typically endogamous, with over 75% marriages involving blood relatives, and 90% of the watta satta marriages occurring within the same village, caste or clan (jaat, biraderi).

In rural parts of Pakistan, watta satta accounts for over 30% of all marriages. Watta satta is more than just an exchange of women from two families or clans; it establishes the shadow of mutual threat across the marriages. A husband who ‘mistreats’ his wife in this arrangement can expect his brother-in-law to retaliate in-kind against his sister. Watta satta is cited as a cause of low domestic violence in some families, and extreme levels of reciprocal domestic violence in some families of Pakistan.