Tumeanza Kujadili "Sultana's Dream" na U-Islam

Katika siku chache zilizopita, nimesoma Sultana's Dream, hadithi iliyotungwa na Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain aliyeishi 1880-1932 nchi ambayo leo ni Bangladesh. Sultana's Dream ni kianzio cha kozi yangu ya Muslim Women Writers.

Nilikuwa nimesoma kuhusu hadithi hii mtandaoni, nikaamua kuijumlisha katika kozi yangu. Nimefurahi kuwa nilifanya uamuzi huo. Nimejionea jinsi mwandishi Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain alivyokuwa mwanaharakati aliyepigania ukombozi wa wanawake kutokana na jadi ya wao kufungiwa ndani na kubanwa kimaisha, jadi iliyojengeka katika imani kwamba ni wajibu wa u-Islam.

Rokeya alikuwa mwanamama shujaa, ikizingatiwa wakati alioishi. Alibahatika kuwa mumewe alimwachia uhuru na kumsaidia katika uandishi na uhamasishaji wa wanawake. Alichapisha Sultana's Dream mwaka 1905. Ni  hadithi ya kubuniwa, ambayo inaelezea ndoto ya Sultana. Katika ndoto hiyo, Sultana anajikuta katika nchi ambayo inatawaliwa na wanawake, huku wanaume wakiwa ndani katika purdah. Utawala wa hao wanawake ni wa neema kubwa kwa nchi, kuanzia uadilifu hadi usafi. Ni nchi ya neema kabisa. Ni utopia.

Leo tumeanza kujadili hadithi hiyo. Nimewaeleza wanafunzi aina ya fasihi ("genre") iitwayo "utopia." Nimewaelezea nafasi ya utopia katika maisha ya binadamu kijamii na kisaikolojia kama njia ya kukabiliana au kuacha kukabiliana na hali halisi ya maisha. Nimeelezea dhana hiyo kwa kutumia mifano ya itikadi ya ki-Marxisti ya ukomunisti na pia mafundisho ya dini kuhusu paradiso au ahera. Utopia ni mkakati wa kuichambua na kuikosoa jamii, kama ilivyo katika Sultana's Dream.

Kwa kuwa Sultana's Dream inahusu purdah na imejikita katika kuukosoa utamaduni wa purdah kama utamaduni kandamizi kwa wanawake, niliona ni muhimu kuwasomea wanafunzi sehemu ya Qur'an ambayo inaongelea purdah. Kwa bahati nzuri, jana usiku nilivyoipitia Qur'an niliona sehemu husika, nayo ni Sura XX1V aya 27-31. Aya hizi zinaongelea masuala ya "privacy" ya nyumba na "modesty" kwa wanaume na wanawake, hasa suala la kujisetiri kwa wanawake.  Baadhi ya aya ni hizi:

30. Say to the believing men
     That they should lower
     Their gaze and guard
     Their modesty: that will make
     For greater purity for them:
     And God is well acquainted
     With all that they do.

31. And say to the believing women
     That they should lower
     Their gaze and guard
     Their modesty; that they
     Should not display their
     Beauty and ornaments except
     What (must ordinarily) appear
     Thereof; that they should
      Draw their veils over
     Their bosoms and not display
     Their beauty except
     To their husbands, their fathers,
     Their husbands' fathers, their sons,
     Their husbands' sons,
     Their brothers or their brothers' sons,

     Or their sisters' sons,
     Or their women, or the slaves
     Whom their right hands
     Possess, or male servants
     Free of physical needs,
     Or small children who
     Have no sense of shame
     Of sex; and that they
     Should not strike their feet
     In order to draw attention
     To their hidden ornaments.
     And O ye Believers!
     Turn ye all together
     Towards God, that ye
     May attain Bliss.

Zaidi ya hadithi ya Sultana's Dream, Rokeya aliandika pia insha na taarifa mbali mbali kuhusu hali za wanawake na ulazima wa kuleta mapinduzi. Alichapisha maandishi yake katika magazeti, na baadhi ya maandishi haya yamo katika kitabu tunachosoma katika kozi hii.