Ignorance that isn't bliss!

Eliminating all past social media activity should become a standard practice for every athlete who aspires to represent their country but this is rarely the norm Tanzim Hasan Sakib the Bangladeshi pacer is the most recent example illustrating how the internet has an enduring memory and often fails to forgiveIndeed there were numerous reasons to applaud his heroic performance against the formidable Indian team during a Super Four clash in the recently concluded Asia Cup tournament However a deeply disturbing and misogynistic Facebook diatribe that has resurfaced with several posts dating as far back as 2014 when Tanzim was involved in junior cricket has left a sour impression on some observersAlso Read Kohli close to Tendulkars record of 100 centuries in international cricketHis posts criticised women who joined the labour force and those who mixed with lsquomale friends in a universityrsquo Moreover they seemed to warn men that their sons would not have a lsquomodestrsquo mother if they married women who are accustomed to lsquofree mixingrsquo with their male colleaguesIf the wife works the husbands rights are not ensured Tanzim wrote in another Facebook post If the wife works her elegance is damaged If the wife works the family is ruined If the wife works the veil is ruined If the wife works society is ruined When looked closely his Facebook rant however reveals a deeper dilemma than just the choice of words he usedThrough his posts Tanzim revealed his heart on the issue of deeprooted gender discrimination along with the hearts of many men Interestingly it is women who form the vast majority of the workforce of the many garment factories in Bangladesh that have driven much of its economic growth over the years However conservative patriarchal attitudes continue to remain closegrained in the majority Muslim countryHis comments provoked a fierce backlash with Parisbased feminist writer Jannatun Nayeem Prity indicating that the jerseys won by Tanzim and his team members were made in factories mostly staffed by women as reported by news agency AFP I feel sorry for you that you dont consider your mother a normal human being she was quoted as sayingShabana Parveen a Bengalurubased womens rights activist echoed similar sentiments ldquoSuch statements show his real character A person representing the country has such a filthy mindsethellipimagine the extent of influence he would be having on the youth I feel sorry for this young man Scoring runs or achieving records donrsquot make you a star These men view women only as objectsrdquo she told MidDayThe outrage from women in this context Parveen argued is not any typical feminist movement looking to attack male athletes or trying and proving that women can do everything that men can However the real issue here is the oppression women face every day ndash discrediting and undervaluing them and seeking to silence their voices and weaken their determination to take part in political social or cultural life ldquoThese are not mere words he put across They are threatening aspects of a pattern of familiar behaviour among men that potentially deprives the society of female voicesrdquo she addedThe Bangladesh Cricket Board BCB during a press conference on Tuesday did little to address these concerns and instead could only offer what amounted to a mere apology on Tanzims behalf In the course of the media interaction the boardrsquos statements have cast doubt over whether BCB officials were able to comprehend the extent of damage the hateful speech caused The board when contacted by MidDay declined to commentldquoWe informed Tanzim about the discussions surrounding his Facebook posts He said that he didnt write those posts to hurt anyone He wrote it for himself not targeting anyone If those posts have hurt anyones feelings he said he was sorry He has apologised and assured us he would avoid posting such things in the future He said he is not against women as his mother is a womanrdquo the BCB Cricket Operations Committee Chairman Jalal Yunus was quoted as saying by ESPNCricInfoWe will monitor him We have given him a warning as he is a young player and a World Cup is just around the corner If he does something like this again we will act against him If there is a problem with him we will provide supportrdquoBCBrsquos attempts to trivialise the matter prompt a wider rethink on how Tanzim may have influenced many others to follow a line of thinking that degrades women Furthermore what is the message the board sent out to Tanzimrsquos women counterparts who have arguably brought more plaudits for Bangladesh than male cricketersThere is precedent for taking action in such scenarios In 2019 Indiarsquos KL Rahul and allrounder Hardik Pandya were banned after making remarks that were widely condemned as sexist and inappropriate on popular talk show lsquoKoffee with Karanrsquo In taking the action the BCCI sent a strong message of zero tolerance against hate speech Similarly Ollie Robinson the rising star in English cricket who claimed seven wickets in his debut Test in 2021 was suspended for eight matches after several misogynistic tweets from a decade ago resurfacedBut the BCB chose to respond diplomatically and instead spoke about how mothers lsquocannot birthrsquo misogynists As long as we shrug at misogyny instead of confronting it we give it credence Perhaps more than anything else it is the broad culture of indifference that is the silent killer By excusing condoning and ignoring Tanzimrsquos misogynistic demeanour the board has accustomed people to further violence and hatred against womenDear BCB ignorance isnt always blissDisclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this sponsored article are those of the author and do not represent the stand and views of MidDay Group MidDay Group disclaims any and all liability to any party company or product for any direct indirect implied punitive special incidental or consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from the use of this content