In the past week, protests have been circling an Indian Hindu temple. The reason behind these protests are because the Supreme Court lifted a long lasting ban on women of menstrual cycle age, allowed into the temple. The ban was in place because there was a link between menstruation and the impurity within Hinduism. Those that were arrested at the temple were taken into custody because of the rule on spending the night on the hilltop around the temple. There will be another ruling in January on this debate to allow women into the temple.
Seeing the ban on women be lifted gives a sense of hope within India and their government on giving women more rights and representation. This also progresses the movement of women and their international rights, because a country that has had, and still has, strict restrictions on women is releasing pressure and tension between the two genders.
I see this as a surprise because there is no link between religion and government within the United States, which is the complete opposite in India. Their government is based on religion, which allows for laws to be in place to restrict human rights that is allowed within the religion. Religion and culture are protected in India and other theocratic states, which begs the question, can certain fundamental natural rights be restricted because it is allowed within religions? This is difficult to answer due to the fact that it has been going on for years with no push back from the other side.
With the rising tension between the two sides in other states around the world, it only is a matter of time before the movement spreads globally. As it is seen in the United States, there are constant arguments and debates on whether women have the same rights as men. There is no telling when, or if, these same debates will continue in countries like India where the divide is so far apart.