Aurats

Aurat are culturally distinct set of women of certain specific Asian descent, with varied linguistic backgrounds of Azerbaijani & Iranian Azeri (arvad),[1] Sorani Kurdish (Afrat), Punjabi Sindhi and Urdu, sharing Hindi and Bengali to an extent [2][3][4]

Not to be confused with Awrat.
Traditional Indian Aurat

Cultural life and distinctiveness

In South Asia word Aurat is more often used to mean woman or wife in Urdu and Hindi languages.[4] With Islamic conceptual leanings believing in entire physical being and existence of a woman to be "Aurat" needs to be covered and restricted from stranger male gaze, the concept developed requisitioning "Aurats" to follow elaborate customary protocols which included "Aurat" had to be hidden with utmost body covering from public and public spaces as much as possible; and many women believing the narrative that it is divine injunction to be followed and hence internalizing religious and customary expectations adopted clothing styles like Chunri (dupatta), Pallu, Ghunghat stoles that could be adjustable and helpful in hiding their hair, breasts and even eyes if needed; the kurta and the gharara, shalwar kameez or Saris; Nikab or Burqas for more conservative Muslim women, besides curtains called Purdah which not only to segregate and being invisible from men at home but historically purdah custom could accompany in public spaces if needed for example a woman would walk behind Mard (husband) so chance of getting stranger male gaze will be lesser or in transport or recreation facilities or courts a physical Purdah (curtain) would be maintained to segregate them from stranger males; but given the fact that female voice also being "Aurat" for extreme conservative usually a Purdahnashin (Purdah following) "Aurat" need not go or interact in public spaces as much as possible,[5] even their name need not be mentioned but be referred as daughter, sister, wife, mother of so and so. The honor of being izzatdar (honorable) would be reserved for "Aurats" who followed strict Purdah seclusion system along with strict modesty etiquette and also moral codes of chastity demanding strict loyalty to one's own husband. In this social construct by default, an Aurat has to be Pak Aurat (i.e. pure & pious Aurat) and not being so is demeaned as 'Napak (impure/impios Aurat).[6] Another side of the same coin would be those "Aurats" who would not come upon expectations of all the strict social distancing with 'stranger men' of Purdah system, would likely be demeaned and many times punished in various ways considering them to be too independent or shameless.

Traditional Muslim Aurat In Niqab

Metaphores

In Traditional Hindu culture Aurat is called as Ghar ki Lakshmi[7]

Feminist view

Mona Hassan at The Nation has objected to the use of the word due to its etymology, saying south Asian men equate women to honor and shame connecting ultimate reference to woman's breasts and vagina and attempt to control the same as part of their honor other wise they feel shamed, Islamic interpretations and practices widely differ in how much part of Aurat (i.e.Woman) body constitute to be intimate, liberal interpretations limiting to best possible to conservative interpretations can even include woman's voice and social existence,[8] this process of thinking leads to culture of women seclusion from public life and subjugation and violation of their human rights.[4][9][10][11]

According to Anjali Bagwe, in south Asia women are distinguished as "Aurat Jat" (of women caste) in an internalized patriarchal sense which presumes women can't be equal to men and tend to be inferior.[12] Those women who attempt any course other than misogynist patriarchal expectations are labeled stereotyped as 'Napak Aurat' (impious woman) and discriminated against.[13][14][15]

Hindi language author Rajendra Yadav criticizes limitations of Indian social construct wherein, on one hand, Indian society remembers and respects woman's upper body as a mother - 'Naari' - even to a level of a goddess, but when thinks of lower part sexualizes as Aurat and attempts to control that sexuality.[16]

gollark: Oh yes, true.
gollark: Plastic fake fish of some kind perhaps.
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See also

References
  1. Nfa, Dr Farideh Heyat (2014-03-05). Azeri Women in Transition: Women in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-87170-2.
  2. Zilfi, Madeline C. (1997). Women in the Ottoman Empire: Middle Eastern Women in the Early Modern Era. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-10804-2.
  3. Ermers, Robert J. (1999). Arabic Grammars of Turkic: The Arabic Linguistic Model Applied to Foreign Languages & Translation of ʼAbū Ḥayyān Al-ʼAndalusī's Kitāb Al-ʼidrāk Li-lisān Al-ʼAtrāk. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-11306-0.
  4. "The Awrah (naked) truth". The Nation. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. Ozyegin, Gul (9 March 2016). Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Cultures. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-13051-2.
  6. Needham, Anuradha Dingwaney; Rajan, Rajeswari Sunder (18 January 2007). The Crisis of Secularism in India. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-3846-8.
  7. Sanyal, Nilanjana (2020-03-02). THERE’S LOVE IN EVERY HEART. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-64805-970-4.
  8. Ozyegin, Gul (9 March 2016). Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Cultures. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-13050-5.
  9. "Marching forwards". sister-hood magazine. A Fuuse production by Deeyah Khan. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  10. N.B. "Arabic word for 'nakedness,' 'shame' also means 'woman'". Stellar House Publishing. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  11. Shah, Zuneera (4 February 2020). "Asking for consent is revolutionary in Pakistan. That is why Aurat March is creating ripples". ThePrint. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  12. Bagwe, Anjali Narottam (1996). Of Woman Caste: The Experience of Gender in Rural India. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-85604-04-6.
  13. Needham, Anuradha Dingwaney; Rajan, Rajeswari Sunder (18 January 2007). The Crisis of Secularism in India. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-8841-8.
  14. Religion, the Secular, and the Politics of Sexual Difference. Columbia University Press. 5 November 2013. ISBN 978-0-231-53604-2.
  15. Imam, Ilina Sen & Zeba (1 March 2019). Dharm Aur Gender. Rajkamal Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-267-3019-3.
  16. Yadav, Rajendra (2007-09-01). Aadmi Ki Nigah Mein Aurat (in Hindi). Rajkamal Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-267-1123-9.
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