Ehtesham Hassan, the man behind the viral poster from the Aurat March that stated ‘I march for my mom who was not allowed to go to school’, has taken to Twitter to share the inspiring story of his mother.
Hassan revealed that since the age of 10, his mother had been fond of reading and writing and had wanted to go to school like her brothers did. When his mother expressed her desire to her grandmother, she purchased a takhti for her because of which the mother was able school for two days. Hassan revealed that every night, his mother would clean the takhti with mud so that she could use it again the next day.
However, after Maulana Fazal Rehman heard about his mother going to school, he forbade, her family from sending her, because this way, the girl would write letters to the men and violate the honor of her family.
Hassan narrated that his mother was restricted from going to school, a fact that she is sorrowful about to this day. Hassan said that being deprived of her fundamental right to receive education, and not being supported by her family is the reason why he chose to march today so that no other woman has to go through the trauma again.
Since the story was posted yesterday, women on Twitter have praised Hassan for passionately defending the right of women to receive education, calling his thread a moving tribute to his mother.