Respect. Pakistani singer Atif Aslam halts concert, calls out sexual assault

While the world continues to be a terrible place for women to inhabit, thanks to men letting go of no opportunities to grope, assault and sexually harass women, the silver lining that has emerged of late, is that celebrities are calling out this behaviour, left, right and centre.

Post the horrid incident of mass molestation on New Year’s Eve in Bangalore, several celebrities have opened up about their opinions on sexual harassment and assault. From Akshay Kumar, to Virat Kohli, to Farhan Akhtar, to Aamir Khan, a horde of male celebrities have tried to make themselves look like allies to women (even though, their statements were sometimes pretty problematic).

The latest entrant in the male ally zone is acclaimed Pakistani singer Atif Aslam. Aslam, at a recent concert in Karachi, called out an incident of sexual harassment.

Performing at the Karachi Eat 2017 concert on Saturday, Aslam stopped midway when he saw a group of men harassing a girl in the front row. Aslam called them out by saying, "Have you never seen a girl before? Your mother or sister could be here as well”.

Again, like Virat Kohli’s comment, Aslam too displays ingrained patriarchy by reducing women to the role of either a mother or a sister. Calling out harassment is admirable. In fact, those who remain silent about oppression are complicit in it. But time and again, this particular argument being used only goes to show that raising your voice against injustice is not enough.

Taking away agency from a woman is as much to blame for this rise in sexual assault, as the assaulter themselves.

Also read - Mass molestation of women on New Year’s Eve in Bangalore puts us all to shame