by Tokana Hasavi – EM TV World
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, sparked global uproar after he praised Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, for her courage to fight terrorism “despite being a woman”.
The hashtag #DespiteBeingAWoman turned into an online frenzy on Twitter yesterday, with users expressing anger at what they described as a sexist remark.
Prime Minister Modi, who was on a two-day official visit to neighbouring Bangladesh, told an audience on Sunday, that his counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, showed commitment in eliminating terrorism, that has plagued both south Asian nations.
The audience, including Bangladeshi and Indian media, reported on the usage of the words, claiming the phrase was derogatory to women.
Sharmistha Mukherjee tweeted the hashtag saying: PM’s statement reflects a mindset that is parochial and condescending towards women with typical gender stereotypes.
Boogie 2988 tweeted: My wife is both a homemaker and career woman because no man or woman tells her what to do.
While others like Internet Hindoo shone a different light on the issue by tweeting: Surprising how the ones promoting the hashtag ‘Despite being a woman’ maintain a stony silence on the atrocities of women in Islamic States.
Users also posted images of successful women, including the former Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=c50Sas4kToI%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
