O P I N I O N S

Fifty Fifty
When a harassed girl kills herself, we have failed her
Kishwar Desai
We must create a secure environment so that even if girls are molested or threatened they must learn to fight back and survive.
This week when two girls from Rohtak killed themselves over being stalked and teased by boys, how many of us remembered the debate that had taken place in Parliament, when the issue of stalking was being discussed? This was during the formulation of the new law on sexual assault last year. Much to the shock and horror of women around the world, there was a lot of resistance towards making stalking and voyeurism a punishable offence under the new law, particularly from male parliamentarians who were worried that they would not be able to even look at a woman appreciatively.

Guest Column
For US, hard to tell foe from friend in Iraq-Syria
R. K. Raghavan
Coming as it does towards the end of Obama’s tenure, the outcome in Iraq will determine what is written of him in the biographies.
The Middle East has always been a happening part of the globe. It has become more so recently with the arrival of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has overshadowed the once dreaded Al Qaeda for its sheer brutality. The beheading on August 19 of James Foley, an outstanding American journalist covering events in the troubled region, came as no surprise to those who had been observing the ISIS ever since it usurped Al Qaeda’s role in the terrorist world a few years ago.

Fifty Fifty
When a harassed girl kills herself, we have failed her
Kishwar Desai

We must create a secure environment so that even if girls are molested or threatened they must learn to fight back and survive.

This week when two girls from Rohtak killed themselves over being stalked and teased by boys, how many of us remembered the debate that had taken place in Parliament, when the issue of stalking was being discussed? This was during the formulation of the new law on sexual assault last year.

Much to the shock and horror of women around the world, there was a lot of resistance towards making stalking and voyeurism a punishable offence under the new law, particularly from male parliamentarians who were worried that they would not be able to even look at a woman appreciatively. One of them had gone to the extent of pointing out men cannot prevent themselves from admiring a good-looking woman. It was only natural. Other male parliamentarians seemed completely delighted listening to this kind of rubbish. Few understood that stalking and voyeurism were not normal behaviour. In fact, there was little or no attempt to explain what girls go through on the streets of India every day, when uncalled for attention is given to them.

Perhaps those girls who have been harassed should have been called into Parliament. They should have been asked if they feel flattered or appreciated when they were followed or when lewd remarks were passed. The answer would have been a resounding no. But the men who represent us in Parliament often fail to understand. So should they be made to pass some kind of gender sensitisation test before we elect then?

The real problem is that men think they are not to blame for this kind of mindset. After all, men only follow their instinct. Their philosophy, as countless Hindi films have put it, is "Aap ke haseen rukh mein aaj naya noor hai, mera dil machal gaya tho mera kya kasoor hai?" That of course is couched in high-flown poetry. But perhaps films should also pass a gender test because in many the message is that it takes taunting and teasing to make women notice men. And then, it would only be a matter of time before the girl, through this constant harassment, would fall in love with her tormentor. After all, true love made the men obsessive. If she did not recognise him as the one who was meant for her, it was really her fault.

Scary. This, as we now know, is the stuff of nightmares. And yet our Indian cinema has presented this to us as acceptable romance in film after film and we never protested. And so no wonder there are enough demented men (including parliamentarians) who have this foolish notion that women simply don't know what is good for them. By hounding them, the message will finally get through.

In real life, this has a traumatic effect on women and girls who struggle to fend off unwanted attention. Things are made worse by society and conservative family members who think that the girl must have "done something" to attract the stalker. Was it her attitude or her clothes? She might be questioned at home, and worse, she might even have her liberty circumscribed.

In the present case of the two young girls, we know that one of their parents did try to hunt for the stalkers. But obviously the girls were not reassured, given the extreme step they took. Certainly, no one thought of going to the police despite the fact that we are supposed to have a "tough" new law.

The two schoolgirls also made it amply clear in their suicide notes that they did not feel they had any other choice than to take their own lives. It was a desperate measure to stop other girls from being harassed in a similar fashion. How trapped and helpless they must have felt! These two talented and bright youngsters had their whole lives ahead of them but felt they could not escape the attentions of some ghastly predators. One wonders whether they couldn't have relocated or taken shelter with some sympathetic friends or relatives in some other town?

But perhaps they found themselves isolated. They did not think of going to the police, and perhaps they were worried about the fallout. After all, they probably felt that any girl who goes public or complains also brings shame to herself and to her loved ones.

These are dilemmas that the modern Indian girl is forced to face, and they can be dangerous for her. The important thing is that we might have to force young Indian men, parliamentarians, the police and those involved in popular culture such as cinema to undergo some level of gender sensitisation, and even pass some tests on understanding the new rape law urgently. The list of people whose mindset need to change is very long. Meanwhile, we must create a secure environment so that even if girls are molested or threatened they must learn to fight back and survive.

Guest Column
For US, hard to tell foe from friend in Iraq-Syria
R. K. Raghavan

Coming as it does towards the end of Obama’s tenure, the outcome in Iraq will determine what is written of him in the biographies.

The Middle East has always been a happening part of the globe. It has become more so recently with the arrival of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has overshadowed the once dreaded Al Qaeda for its sheer brutality. The beheading on August 19 of James Foley, an outstanding American journalist covering events in the troubled region, came as no surprise to those who had been observing the ISIS ever since it usurped Al Qaeda’s role in the terrorist world a few years ago. A UN investigation has revealed that ISIS has used multiple methods to strike fear in the public. These include lashings, public executions, amputation of prisoners and mock crucifixions.

Ostensibly resentful of what it considered the undeserved preeminence of the Shias in the region, especially in Iraq, ISIS has marched ahead literally unchallenged. First it managed to occupy the Syrian city of Raqqa in March 2013. In January 2014, it captured the Sunni city of Fallujah in the western province of Iraq. What came as the greatest shock was the annexation of Mosul in June, with the Iraqi soldiers virtually fleeing from the area. It now controls several other towns on the Turkish and Syrian borders.

MOURNING FOLEY: Beheading of the US journalist has brought pressure on Obama. AFP

What has caused the greatest concern to the US and its allies is not the organisation’s brutality alone. More worrying perhaps is that of the nearly 10,000-strong group about 1,000 are foreigners from the West. The fear is that these 1,000-odd jihadists could sneak back to their home countries and indulge in misadventure. It is not without significance that the masked man seen standing beside Foley before he was assassinated in the video clip released by ISIS spoke with a British accent. There is also the news that one Arif Majeed, an engineering student and son of a doctor from Kalyan (Maharashtra), who had gone to Iraq in May along with three friends, was found dead in Mosul a few days ago after a bomb blast. There is more than a conjecture that the four youths had fled home to fight for the jihadist cause.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (43), who leads the ISIS, was originally from Samarra, north of Baghdad. He joined the insurgents after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. His dedication to the cause saw him rising to a prominent Al Qaeda leader, surpassing Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was a mere theologian. Baghdadi’s reputation as a field commander drew most of the jihadist youth who were itching for action. It is not the weaknesses of other groups that alone have helped ISIS. The ability to plan operations in meticulous detail is a strong point that ensured success in the field. ISIS now commands vast resources. It depended initially on funds received from influential individuals in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It now earns considerable revenue from Syrian oil fields.

However, everything is not hunky dory for ISIS. Its superciliousness towards other insurgent groups and its emphasis on acting alone has posed problems. It is anybody’s guess as to how long ISIS can maintain its momentum. Also questionable is its capacity to hold on to its gains, operating from as far away as Raqqa, its administrative headquarters in Syria. Yet another factor that has come into play in the dynamics of the area is a subtle change in strategy by Syrian President Bashar Assad towards ISIS. The latter was not earlier unhappy with the growing influence of ISIS, because that neutralised most of the other insurgent groups that posed him problems within Syria. With many of them having been disabled, Assad’s security forces have now shifted their attention to stymieing ISIS.

It is here that a major dilemma faces President Obama. While the American desire to ease Assad out of office for his human rights violations is unconcealed, the White House will have to decide which among the two — the current Syrian establishment or ISIS —poses the greater risk to the US. After the coldblooded murder of Foley, there is public outrage in the US that eggs on the White House to act decisively to extirpate ISIS. This would require at least a temporary burying of differences with Assad and forming a coalition to get rid of ISIS.

A specific question is how far airstrikes will help to destroy ISIS strongholds. Indiscriminate aerial bombings are a double-edged weapon involving collateral civilian casualties. Also, even assuming that an Assad-Obama partnership succeeds in outwitting ISIS, where is the guarantee that another group like ISIS, which openly espouses the cause of a Caliphate, will not rise in the immediate future? Coming as it does towards the end of Obama’s tenure, the outcome in the area will determine what is written of him in the avalanche of biographies whose first chapters may already have been completed. As for India, a hawk-like watch on the traffic to and from Iraq and Syria will be crucial to keeping track of prospective jihadists who may have designs against the current Indian establishment.

The writer is a former CBI Director.