Fallacies that befuddle the ‘educated’ Pakistani mind
by Abdul Majeed Wise people always say, Do not try to present complex matters in black and white terms as it will defeat the purpose. To quote Paul Valery: “That which is simple is always false; that which is not simple is always unusable”. Kala Kawa, a widely read blogger, recently wrote, “Something I Wrote On Pakistan Day”. In that particular blogpost, the blogger expressed his opinion about “confronting your own biases or assumptions” and “middle class … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Conservation, Islam, Islamism, Pakistan, Politics, Society, Taliban, Terrorism, Women
Begum Bhutto (1929 – 2011)
by Husham Ahmed Just a few hours ago Begum Nusrat Bhutto breathed her last in Dubai after suffering from a protracted illness and the world lost a woman who was a symbol of valor, courage and fortitude. Nadeem F. Paracha aptly put in his tweet: “Her’s was the longest and toughest struggle”. The world saw her in the form of a young frail woman who selflessly worked as a member of Women’s National Guard to fight day … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, Uncategorized, Women
Women inside, not outside
By Amna Shaikh Musings of a Foreign Born Muslim Woman As a 25-year-old woman who was raised abroad and greatly values the empowerment and independence of women, I find it a struggle at times to roam the streets of Pakistan. Growing up in Singapore I was exposed to a variety of cultural and religious values regarding the role of women in society. From hijab wearing Malaysian Muslim women working at Abercrombie and Fitch to Singaporean Chinese women working as CEOs of multi-national corporations. Growing up as a Muslim girl in Singapore I never felt as anything less or different when it came to being female. I was encouraged by my parents to expose myself to as much as possible and explore what cultures, religions and places the world had to offer. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Women
Sexual Harrassment of Women in the Workforce
Uzma Anwar The harassment of female students by a teacher in one of the premier teaching institutes in the country makes headlines, not only because this is one of the first examples of this being a punishable offence, but because females have dared to come out in public against the questionable behavior of a senior and a teacher at that. Anyone who is a part of the workforce or students in Pakistan is familiar with the treatment meated out to women, their tribulations and hardships a routine matter. In a country, where women traditionally, barring urban areas, are discouraged from any meaningful pursuit of livelihood despite having the education and skills except in extreme situations, it is no surprise that the few who do engage in it are still looked down upon by … Read entire article »
Filed under: human rights, violence, Women
The fearless moderates of Pakistan
Watch this video where Asma Jahangir utters bitter truths and a woman from the audience puts the bigots to shame. Apologies to those who cannot understand Urdu/Hindustani. PTH Admin … Read entire article »
Ghairat Brigade To The Rescue
By: Sana Saleem Let me (re)introduce you to a term called “slut shaming”, undoubtedly our most favorite pass time. This might not sound familiar to many but I promise after I get done with the definition most of us will be able to relate fully. Slut shaming is the deliberate act of calling a woman a slut, a whore or impugning her character in sexual terms in order to embarrass, humiliate, intimidate, degrade or shame her for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Media, Women
Veena Malik does not represent me
By Zainab Imam Much has been made about Veena Malik’s “behaviour” in the Bigg Boss House from the twin flirtations she struck to the short clothes she wore. To me, this spells Veena’s victory. Out of 14 housemates — including a global star, Bollywood actors and Bhojpuri film industry’s Shahrukh Khan — Veena managed to make an impression. While she was busy inside, the world outside was delirious with anger: how dare a Muslim, Pakistani woman conduct … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Bollywood, Cinema, Uncategorized, Women
Islamic Laws and Women:Why Reinterpretation is Needed
This is an intelligently argued article sent to us by Miss Kiran Rizvi. She rightly argues that laws are eventually an outcome of the peculiar circumstances of the prevalent time period. Therefore laws have to be judged in the context of those circumstances. This way of looking at the laws also makes it essential to rethink the current interpretation which is rooted in those times. Miss Kiran’s argument is that the spirit of Islam itself provides justification for reinterpretation of the laws, particularly those which pertain to women. by Kiran Rizvi Contrary to the popular belief Islam neither favors nor victimizes women. What I mean by this is that Islam doesn’t go out of its way to hurt or protect women because of their special status in the society. The current interpretation of Islamic laws … Read entire article »
Do Muslim Women Get a Fair Deal?
This is an incisive article sent by Ms Taji M which raises several intelligent and debatable points. Right now we are witnessing a debate on need for reform in religion. This article provides a woman’s perspective and argues that due to orthodox and literal interpretation of religion women in our society are not getting a fair deal. We expect healthy debate on this article. By Taji M I have a friend, university educated, upper class, stylish and religious but not an extremist way. She is a on the whole a very sensible person. Over the years we have debated religion extensively; I have more reformist thoughts and she is more mainstream. She is of the firm belief that present orthodox version of Islam offers the best position for Muslim women; in one … Read entire article »
Filed under: human rights, Islam, Pakistan, Religion, Women
Pakistani College Becomes Focus of a Social Struggle
The GT Road Blog BySteve Inskeep In Lahore, the University of the Punjab attracts middle- and lower-income Pakistani students hoping to make better lives for themselves. But the school’s campus is also the scene of an ongoing struggle over education and Islam. Alfred Cooper Woolner May 1878 – January 7, 1936, was a noted Sanskrit scholar and professor as well as the Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Lahore. He died in Lahore Many of the 35,000 students wear jeans … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Education, Identity, Islamism, Lahore, Pakistan, Punjab, Religion, Women
Iran Bars Music in Private Schools, May Impose University Code
From Saudi Arabia to Iran to Afghanistan to Malaysian and Indonesian provinces, we can be sure of one extremely important social measure that an Islamic religious government takes when it comes to power; enforce women modesty. An Islamist may not have much of a social or economic agenda. But he will make sure that a woman is covered first and foremost. For our readers more in tune with the current Iranian social and political situation, your comments on this thread would be most appreciated. (PTH) Published at Bloomberg.com By Ali Sheikholeslami in London June 1 (Bloomberg) — Iran has barred private schools from teaching music, saying it clashes with the establishment’s Islamic values, following a push to enforce moral standards that may lead to a national dress code for university students. “The use of … Read entire article »
Filed under: human rights, Iran, Islam, Pakistan, public policy, Religion, Rights, Women
The Journey of a Pakistani Muslim
I was born into a Sunni Muslim family in a northern city in the UK. The city is home to a large Muslim minority from Pakistan. I come from an educated and broad minded family with middle of the road type of values. Religion was never really a huge issue but I did the usual cultural thing of learning how to read the Quran in Arabic till I was 10 years old. At around the age of 14, I became interested in Islam and joined the Young Muslims UK. This was my first real exposure to practical Islam. We would attend camps and have weekly meetings usually to discuss the Quran and the Hadith of Muhammad. For all intents and purposes everything was going well and my family was happy that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, Europe, human rights, India, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Islamism, Pakistan, Philosophy, Religion, Rights, violence, war, Women, youth
Sex is no laughing matter in Pakistan
SHAZIA MIRZA April 18, 2010 IN ALL the countries that I have travelled to to perform stand-up comedy – the US being a regular destination – I have never been held up or interrogated at customs. Or I hadn’t, until I arrived in Pakistan. I spent six hours at Lahore customs, as I did not have a visa in my British passport to enter the country. The people who organised my gig had mistakenly assumed that because my parents were born in Pakistan and I, too, am brown, they would automatically let me in. The customs officer asked: “Are you Pakistani?” Yes. “Where were you born?” England. “That makes you a foreigner.” He looked through my passport, which is filled with US visas. He said: “Are you a spy?” No, I’m a stand-up comedian. … Read entire article »
The Niqab Debate; Niqab is not a Religious Argument
By Adnan Syed It does not matter if niqab is indeed mandated by Islam or not. For those few hundred women out of 1 Million Muslims living in Canada, or for that matter in Europe or anywhere in the world, niqab is mandated by Islam. They prefer to move around behind this hideous and dehumanizing dress, happy with their chastity preserved, away from the prying eyes of lustful men, and feeling liberated while being covered from head to toe. They and I can go on quoting our versions of whether niqab is mandated by Islam, or it is a redundant cultural attic from tribal and patriarchal societies that we just do not want to part with. There are many pseudo religious practices that the modern societies have banished. From the extreme Hindu religious … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Democracy, human rights, Religion, Rights, violence, Women
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