 |
| ©The Sanniah Experience! (TSE) |
By Sanniah Hassan
In a shocking and heartbreaking turn of events, media reports confirmed the brutal killing of twenty-seven-year-old Noor Mukadam, daughter of former Ambassador Mr. Shaukat Mukadam on the 20th of July last year.
Based on initial reports, the young woman was brutally 'beheaded' after being sexually abused by someone considered to be a friend. An investigation into the case by the Islamabad police led to a confessional by the cold-blooded murderer, the son of an influential business tycoon, Zahir Jaffer.
The news sent shockwaves across the country with many questioning how such an incident was possible. The vibrant young woman's life had been cut short by this monster who pledged that he was a lover 'scorned'.
After being taken into police custody Jaffer and his family knit tales of woe claiming he had proposed marriage and she had rejected, so in a moment of deep self-pity he had resorted to killing her. In doing so, Jaffer not only killed an innocent but also tarnished her reputation post-humously by spreading lies in the media (digital, print, social media, etc). Yet the most disturbing element in all this was the role played by the media only made worse by the negative comments that came pouring in. As a society, men and women across Pakistan wholly partook in the social media campaign and added to the misery of the victim's family by "shredding" her character to bits.
Mukadam, who is succeeded by her parents and siblings became a symbol of propaganda to paint all women in a negative light, and further desensitized an already emotionless society – but only when it comes to women's rights.
So what is desensitization? and why is it important to cleanse ourselves of such an attitude towards life?
Literally speaking, the term refers to a process through which an individual becomes "emotionally insensitive". According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, this means that a person who lacks an "emotional response" to a disturbing incident is desensitized.
It is important to understand how desensitization occurs, especially, if we hope to put an end to it. Psychologists believe that repeated exposure to certain stimuli can result in evoking emotions. For example, repeated instances of terrorism can lead one to lose any emotion for future events of a similar nature. Joanne Carter in the Encyclopedia of International Media and Communication, 2003 believes frequent exposure to "frightening stimulus" leads an individual to consider it "non-threatening".
Likewise, the repeated instances of violence and abuse against women in the past decade have resulted in a could-care-less attitude because it is considered somewhat of a norm.
This brings us to the next concern. Based on his research, Rafael Di Telle et al believes there is a poignant link between crime, violence, and desensitization. Referring to video games with content falling in the spectrum of violence/crime, the team argued that repeated exposure leads to a lesser response.
Consequently, games like PubG, Grand Theft Auto, Doom, World of Warcraft, and many others are considered violent games as they introduce elements of gore and violence to their youthful audiences, resulting in heightened aggression and lessened response. It is pertinent for us to understand this because it reminds us that we cannot end crime in our society by simply ignoring it.
This is especially true for cases of violence and abuse. With the growing number of reported and unconfirmed cases, we are only conditioning our youth that it is perfectly normal. By not taking timely and appropriate action against such cases, we are teaching our youth that "silence" is golden – which it is not. In doing so, we are only furthering a culture of fear.
How is this connected to the late Noor Mukadam?
Well, for one, by prolonging the trial and execution of punishment for the cold-blooded murderer, we are setting the percent that there is no justice for the victim. We are solidifying the stereotype that justice is only for the elite and not the common man thus, we are feeding the unmitigated control of the monster, Zahir Jaffer.
According to US veteran John Donnelly, "Acceptable levels of violence and killing have become 'standard operating procedure,' as long as such destruction appears to be occurring at a safe distance".
He argues that because we have become accustomed to murder and bloodshed in general, so we have also become conditioned to accept gruesome deaths and incidents (which should otherwise, evoke an emotional response).
The question then is clear. Is it that we have accepted a life of luxury and ease as being more worthy in comparison to standing up for what is right? Or are we simply lacking the compassion necessary for the human race to continue?
My answer to this is simple. If we do not question the atrocities around us and stand up against them, we will only lead the world towards further disarray. Let us not forget that Noor Mukadam was a living, breathing, and passionate human being. She was loved by someone and probably had dreams of her own, which will forever remain unfulfilled.
Isn't it time to shift our focus from trivialities toward matters of substance then? Wouldn't it be better to focus our energies on questioning monsters like Zahir Jaffer before they are completely devoid of any humanity?
Let's pledge to stand up for not just Noor Mukadam but for all Noors everywhere!
*This op-ed was originally published in Baaghi TV by the same writer.
Comments
Post a Comment