Unpacking The Imam Fiasco – It Is Not Sexual Harassment But What Is It?

Twitter is aghast with the controversy surrounding Pakistani cricketer Imam ul Haq. Under the banner of the me too movement, several women came forward with the claims that Imam was manipulating and deceiving them at the same time.

Twitter is divided due to the debate that whether or not this counts as a me too worthy incident.

Let’s take a look at both the arguments. The first side says that this incident does not count as a me too worthy incident because all the conversations were consensual. Since the me too movement is more about exposing sexual predators, the # should not be used to expose general predatory behaviour that is taking place due to consent.

The other side believes that the # should be used to expose general misdemeanour. While the incident does not count as a sexual harassment incident, the # is enabling women and men to expose behaviours which exploit other people and people should be empowered to do that. What the movement is able to achieve and manoeuvre into is decided by people using the hashtag and it should be provided that space.

Here are a few take aways from the entire situation.

If we look at the controversy purely from the perspective of the me too movement then there are two understandings. The me too movement in theory is about exposing sexual predators, and this particular incident is not one of sexual harassment. So with that assumption, it cannot be categorized as a me too worthy case.

However, if we look at it from the perspective that the movement will have colloquial expressions wherever it is taken up then we can see what is happening in the online sphere of Pakistan. The hashtag is empowering people to expose any predatory behaviour in which people engage in manipulation and lying. So the hashtag can be used by people to expose such behaviours, which they already are.

The debate right now surrounds the idea whether or not this is harassment. It surely isn’t, however, Imam’s manipulation is certainly worthy of criticism. It is not okay to obtain consent by lying and manipulation. Many people point out that women engage in the same behaviour in the dating sphere but regardless of gender, it is condemnable. If anyone wishes to engage in casual relationships, it should be put on the table because “dil ke maamlaat mein dhokay khana” is not okay.

At the same time, the person being exposed, his or her privacy should be maintained. In this case, we witnessed a plethora of personal conversations of Imam that were shared without consent. These are areas that people do need to keep in mind before engaging in online trials. It is a crime punishable by law and while it is important to create space for the marginalized, it is also important to keep legality of matters in check as well.