On New Years day, in Kerala, India 3 million women formed a human wall which ran for 600 Kilometers (!!!) in a protest against the religious laws which discriminate against women. One law in particular prevents women from entering the famous and sacred Sabarimala Hindu Temple. The temple banned women of “menstruating age” (between 10 and 50) on the grounds that these women were “unclean”.
Check this out….
Phenomenal! Never seen such a display of women power.
Down Down Patriarchy and Communalism #WomensWall pic.twitter.com/FtY4o45Chc
— Sudeep Sudhakaran (@SudeepSudhakrn) January 1, 2019
The government actually supported the protest, by giving schoolchildren and workers the day off. Last year they had passed a law that the women should be allowed to enter, but the small group of women who attempted to had stones thrown at them, and were physically stopped by protesters, resulting in over 2,000 arrests.
Late that night, two women entered the temple, becoming the first to do so since the ruling. The leader of the opposition said that Kerala would become “Satan’s Land” as a result, and closed the temple down for ritual cleansing. The women, who wore veils during their entry, are now under 24 hour security for their own safety.
The women of India refuse to back down and vow to continue to fight. More power to them… ✊✊✊✊✊✊
