The Way I See It
Thoughts on anti-vulgarism day: Dear Diary...

Thoughts on anti-vulgarism day: Dear Diary...

Dear diary, did you know that Pakistan will collapse because of posters of women? I’m so worried.

Salman Qureshi April 27, 2012

Dear diary,

Today I came back from school after having an interesting day in my class. We, the fourth graders, learned about science, math and geography. We also had one man come to our class. He reminded me of Santa Claus but he wasn’t as nice. He was very strict. He told me that I can no longer sit with my best friend Mariam because it is wrong. I’m very sad about that. He said I don’t look at her in a nice way. I don’t know what he means but he’s older and everyone said he is very religious so he must be right. But I miss Mariam.

Amir

Dear diary,

Today I came to know Santa Claus’ name - it's Maulana Minty. Today he told us that all those girls who used to sit with us are now in a separate school and that we are safe. I’m not sure from what, but I think I will pay attention and learn. He also got rid of Mrs Samina from the school. She was my favourite teacher and very kind too. But Maulana said her teaching us was a sin.

Dear diary,

Maulana Minty told us how all the films we watch and cartoons we love are evil. That is sad. I love watching films. But he says I will "search for bad things" if I watch movies. My cousin was telling me that it has something to do with a fake piece of news about Pakistanis searching for wrong things on Google. Today Maulana Minty said he knows this news is true, even though everyone says it is false. So maybe we are bad people searching for bad things. I’m confused.

Dear diary,

I learned that vulgarity is causing all the problems in my life and my country. I love Pakistan. I will start working hard to remove vulgarity so everyone can lead a better life. Today I spent time reading Maulana Minty’s pamphlets instead of my homework; it is important to get rid of bad things.

Dear diary,

Did you know that Pakistan will collapse because of posters of women? I’m so worried. I met Mariam outside school today and told her this. I also told her that she should cover herself. She is causing problems for all of us. I was angry at her. Maybe my favorite Xbox game stopped working because of her.

Dear diary,

Maulana told us that naked girls are a bad thing. It is okay for men to wear shorts but not women. In the summer I like wearing shorts because it is so hot you know and sometimes there is no electricity. But I understand now that girls shouldn't do this. When I think about it, girls must not be completely human like us men. Maybe they are sent into the world to cause problems. So it is okay for me to cover them up? I think I can only stop looking if we lock up women in homes. If they are everywhere, how will I be a good Muslim?

Also, I will call you kitab from now on so I don’t use western terms.

Dear kitab,

We are going to celebrate April 27 as aunty vulgarism’s day. I’m not sure if she is my khala or phuppi.

Dear kitab,

Anti-vulgarism day! So silly of me. You know, I noticed today that all those films I watch have all these girls and I can see their arms and legs. Maulana Minty has told us this is a big sin and boys are being influenced by the devil because of this. I don’t want the devil to control me so I stopped looking at girls. It makes watching movies very hard. But sometimes I like looking so I take a peek. Then I do tauba (repentance).

Dear kitab,

Today is anti-vulgarity day. I told my mother and sister to stop going out without niqab. They are evil. My mother became upset. I also slapped my sister to make her do it. I bet the electricity at our house will go off because they are not listening to me. I also took all the magazines at home and used a black marker on the women in the pictures. I really enjoyed doing that. I got to see all the girls but I also destroyed the pictures. Tomorrow I will buy more magazines so I can colour them. I like removing vulgarity from my country. I hope there is a lot of vulgarity I can remove tomorrow. It excites me.

Dear kitab,

I’m at the rally and brought you along. There is a lot of smoke from all the magazines and posters being burned. My lungs are hurting a bit.

It’s very loud here. There are lots of people with banners too. I wonder why everyone is so mad and angry here. I should probably be getting angry also. I will try harder. I’m trying to scowl now.

I'm sure today’s rally will fix all those problems and improve our image. I’m so happy. I think I’ll go use my black marker some more.

Amir

Read more by Salman here or follow him on Twitter @salmanzq

WRITTEN BY:
Salman Qureshi A Masters graduate in International Business from the University of Wollongong Dubai. He is a standup and Improv comedian based in Dubai with an intense interest in reviving and supporting arts in Pakistan. He blogs at: http://salmanzq.blogspot.com/

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

More by this writer

COMMENTS (88)

Amir101 | 12 years ago | Reply Great post! This ET just keeps getting better and better :D anyhow, some of the comments really pissed me off, but hey! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I'd like to make this crystal clear to @musab and all those who agree to his absurd comments: Not wearing a hijab does NOT mean women are trying to seduce. Dude! What a cheap thing to say?I ashamed of saying i'm a pakistani, where people can be SO narrowminded!? Bohat dukh hua apka comment parh kar. And YES! Women are being pushed into slavery, due to the increasing illiteracy rate and evil mulla's like the one in this article. I dont care if people agree to this or not, but its a fact! Women are being treated worse then a slave! @loveallah : just because you wear a hijab, doesn't mean you are the only good muslim. The heart and soul makes a person a good muslim or human. So dont you DARE judge anyone. A women can be modest without wearing a burka too! Rightnow i'm so pissed because i've just realized pakistan is nothing but a country filled with cavemen and barbaric people. And as long as people with these kind of mindsets exist, pakistan is in big trouble! P.s: i'm a guy :p p.s2: so if giving women their complete rights, or stopping 'barbaric-men forced domination' over women OR minding my own business and not snooping around other people's matters means i'm a liberal, THEN YES I AM A LIBERAL.

Amir101 | 12 years ago | Reply Lol loved the blog post! This blog just keeps getting better.The way the writer took the article step by step was epic! Ok so i ask all those anti-liberal AKA 'thick headed conservatives' : is wearing a black chadar from head to tow, making yourself look like a ninja, the only way to show your devotion to God? Agar ap nai pehneingay toh kia a women becomes shady? I have met alot of very decent looking non-hijab wearing women...and i've also met some very shady hijab wearing women. Being a liberal is.nt a crime nor sin. Everyone has different perspectives of things. @loveallah: sirf aisa naam rakhney sey aur hijab pehanay sey, a person does not becomes a good muslim. Its your heart and soul that matters. If you wear a veil then good for you, but please dont you dare judge other women. Its men and women like you who're go 'extreme' with religion and globally muslims are labelled. Everyone should have a choice, and islam is also anti-force. Its useless to force a women into wearing a veil unless and until she wants to. @musab: dude get a life! Not-wearing a hijab doesn't mean women are trying to SEDUCE! You are narrowminded! And for you information, due to the high illiteracy rate in pakistan, WOMEN ARE BEING PUSHED INTO SLAVERY! husbands are treating their wives worse then slaves!!! So if giving women their complete rights or stopping abuse makes you a liberal THEN YES I AM A LIBERAL! Women are also human!! They have rights and they deserve better then what they're getting, atleast in pakistan! I never thought pakistani people could be THIS narrowminded! P.s: I'm a GUY! :p

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Iftikhar Ahmed | 12 years ago | Reply Burka or Bikini, both of them are extremists, just banish them!

Diary Kid - again | 12 years ago | Reply @The Opinionista: ...Liberal ? i believe ? ....No one has stopped you from being liberal ...At least don't make fun of the people who follow the right path !!...

elementary | 12 years ago | Reply @sherry: Yes

SK | 12 years ago | Reply

Blockquote

It is okay for men to wear shorts but not women. In the summer I like wearing shorts because it is so hot you know and sometimes there is no electricity. But I understand now that girls shouldn’t do this. Amm..i dont get your sattire? are you pointing out that its totally okay if girls go the way guys go? I am sure a guy can walk around comfortably with his shirt off, so what do you suggest on that?

sherry | 12 years ago | Reply @elementary: so what you mean to say is that religion's (islam) attitude towards human body is irrational???

sherry | 12 years ago | Reply @Ayesha: well said

elementary | 12 years ago | Reply @Pakistan politics: So ET advocating vulgarity. YES.Go on you have got an excuse now.

Maham | 12 years ago | Reply Haha brilliant! I'm laughing in a random library in nyc and everyone around me is like shhhh. Haha I loved it!

Ahmed HM | 12 years ago | Reply @Salman Qureshi: And God give us all the moral courage to accept what He has ordered us to do. You must have been crying madly and hitting the rattle on your desk while trying to come up with something funny and worth laughing. Your blog doesn't represent Pakistan and neither does ET. I am do happy that people have started to come on ET and comment against such stuff.

Salman Qureshi | 12 years ago | Reply Hi everyone - just a quick thank you to everyone who enjoyed the article. Keep smiling! God bless our country and our people :)

Mohammad Umair | 12 years ago | Reply Dear Diary Please pray to the Almighty ALLAH that I under Islam before making a joke out of it in the open. Amir P. S. Everyone having a laugh, please look into authentic text before coming out with 'haha' and 'hehe' and 'well done'. I can assure you none of you is qualified enough to comment on what ALLAH has chosen as the best way to life his/her life. ALLAH has created every human and knows whats best for him/her and told it through his Prophets and revelation. This blog just proves that you are lacking the basic understanding of human-ness, i.e. No human can be perfect and ones shortcoming can be anothers strength. If you see a guy in shorts, there is no doubt its not permitted in Islam but does it give you the right to make it a point to label him bad. No! But one should always try hardest to be as near as one can to the best life (as told by Quran and Sunnah) and its all there is Rasoolullah SAWs life, not some western business man or woman. Try asking yourself more how good you are before asking how bad is the other person...

Liberal Afghan | 12 years ago | Reply Awesome blog! I'm a woman, and the last thing I care about is what men think about the way I dress. I dress conservative enough. And if people don't like it, then they can get lost. I'm not here to please others. It's my life. I've got only God to answer to. To each his own. If my dressing a certain way, or not covering my head causes men to behave in a foul manner, then it's just not my fault. I visited Pakistan a few years back. Dressed conservative. Even covered my face. But I still had perverts staring at me. The same perverts expect others to respect their own mothers and sisters. If change needs be, then why not start with respecting others and their choices. Treat others the way you would want your own treated. Funny thing is, men like to point fingers at women for their own weaknesses. What angers me the most is when these men go around raping young women, and society either sides with them, or gives them some form of minor punishment. I'm a strong believer in "EYE FOR AN EYE," and I think that countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan need to hang men who go around raping women just because they think they can. And these extremist mollanas need to stop giving men the idea that women are evil. In reality majority of these mollanas are just as perverted...

RiffyR | 12 years ago | Reply @Zara, I fail to see what you just pointed out since the people defending the article and the author itself are men TOO. What's your point?

Nobody | 12 years ago | Reply @Ayesha: The author is not poking fun of Islam itself per se, he's criticizing the fact that conservatives seem to be under the impression that vulgarity is causing the downfall of Pakistan, which quite frankly is laughable. Anti vulgarity day? Really? Corruption, intolerance, hatred, violence, narrow mindedness and the like are causing the downfall of Pakistan, not vulgarity. The author has quite cleverly portrayed this point. Well done author!

Anum | 12 years ago | Reply @ saad -- True, no arguments there. Even our Prophet (PBUH) was very patient and tolerant. Our problem is that we choose to follow the convenient tenets of religion.

Zara Mazhar | 12 years ago | Reply This is the BEST blog I have read in a while. You might have noticed all the people rebelling against it just somehow happen to be men too. :)

saad | 12 years ago | Reply @Anum Just to put things into perspective a little more. The tolerance and freedom in a western society vs. Islamic society are completely different. A woman wearing a burka in Italy may just be stared at but a woman wearing a bikini in Pakistan WILL BE KILLED. This is a huge difference. Intolerance and Ignorance is actually enhanced exponentially in a Muslim society when compared to a western society. "...when you are in a society that has a set and defined culture, you shouldn’t fight it." Because if you fight the cultural norms in Pakistan your life is in grave danger. If you fight the cultural norms in western society you may only be laughed at. Huge difference here.

Anum | 12 years ago | Reply The comment regarding the Romans merely meant that when you are in a society that has a set and defined culture, you shouldn't fight it. If you are a Muslim and wear niqab then go to France at your own risk. Yes, freedom of expression should exist but don't expect them to conform to your culture when you wont accept bikini clad girls in Pakistan. Religious duty does not cease to exist, it is just difficult to practice when you're between people who are not like you. So refrain from travelling to places where you think you'll get into trouble, ONLY because our society is not tolerant that way. You get what you sow. That was all there was to it. Regarding what I want, I respect other people;s choices just like they should respect mine. I am not a hijabi or burkay wali. However, when women tell me I should, i respect that because I am aware (or I believe) that is prescribed by my religion. If I was already covering myself up, I wouldn't have a problem with other women dressing however they like unless they were my sisters, daughters etc.

leila rage | 12 years ago | Reply @anum: You seem very confused. On the one hand you assert that the ladies nagging you about the hijab are only 'telling (you) what (your) religion tells (you)', and then you say 'when in rome, do as the romans do.' So basically, you claim that the hijab is a religious duty and then you IMPLY (you dont directly say it, but it can be inferred from the latter comment) that somehow this religious duty ceases to be a religious duty when you're abroad. You want modesty and then your other comment could be taken to mean that if you accidently ended up on a nudist beach you wouldn't mind joining in. While, I personally do not believe the hijab is a religious injunction and NOR DO I SUPPORT nudity/vulgarity, I would merely like to advise you to maintain some consistency in your claims.

Pakistan politics | 12 years ago | Reply so ET advocating vulgarity ?

Loneliberal PK | 12 years ago | Reply Anum, I'm not promoting anything. Just because I oppose this ridiculous anti-vulgarism campaign, doesn't mean I want to see women parading in bikinis. What I'm saying is that a woman should be able to wear a bikini as well as a burqa, and neither decision should invoke harassment from the society. Declaring women who do not adhere to the Islamic dress code (or more accurately, Jamaat-e-Islami approved dress code) as "vulgar", is ignorant and intolerant. Just because their values don't coincide with ours, doesn't make these women immoral. That is as lludicrous as a French person calling headscarves "vulgar" because they're against the Western culture.

saad | 12 years ago | Reply Poverty, famine, disease, cancer, psychiatric illness, murder, rape, bribery, blackmailing, torture, theft.. etc... are just some of the problems that need to be addressed in Pakistan way before attempting to rectify or prevent the amount of clothing a woman wears. Let the strong and empowered Pakistani woman make the decision of a bikini or a burqa and don't judge her choice. Let's tirelessly defend the women of this country to rise up and revolutionize their apparent oppression by the men who want to keep women as second class citizens. Stop discrimination based on gender NOW.

tehniat | 12 years ago | Reply @love Allah and @Anum.. Well said ... (:

omer | 12 years ago | Reply @ anam : if the issue that was discussed is really what you tell it is, then your comment, the one i responded to, is out of place itself.. and at any rate my response was to your particular comment so i dont think it was misplaced..As to your desire about citizens behaving " MODESTLY" please enlighten me which modesty do you really want?? Barelvi modesty? deobandi modesty? wahabi modesty? n the list could go on.. i hope you get the point..

Dee Cee | 12 years ago | Reply I support Love Allah. Go all the way, Burqa for men too! We do not need to be objects of desire either and there should be no nudity for men. Everybody should wear shuttle cork burqa and display that they are servants of the Lord! And the unbearded youth should not be let out of the house at all in view of the religious injunctions against looking at them. And men cannot refuse burqa because the only other option available is nudity, which, obviously, we cannot allow.

Glaedr | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah: "some people took my comment as if i am enforcing sumthing on them" And you took the article as if somebody was enforcing something on you. The 'liberals', as you call them, are not forcing you to go around in skimpy clothes, they are merely asking that women be allowed to dress as they please without being bothered by the self-styled guardians of 'decency'. Live and let live.

Muhammad Rizwan Malik | 12 years ago | Reply Poor frustrations, seriously.

RiffyR | 12 years ago | Reply The point of this article is NOT to promote vulgarity but to point the fact out that eliminating the "so-called" vulgarity is not the answer to our problems. I say "so-called" because I think lying, cheating, deceiving, bribing is MORE vulgar than the generally perceived meaning of vulgarity - a meaning that is only restricted to how a woman clothes herself. Also, before quoting from holy scriptures, know that Pakistan does not only house Muslims but there is actually a thriving Non-Muslim community living here that have actively taken part in the building of various projects. So live and let live.

Anum | 12 years ago | Reply @ LoneLiberal - Not everybody follows your cultural or Islamic lifestyle. People are allowed to have different values than you, don’t you think? I agree with you and I said the following in my two posts above: "Let it remain a personal choice. Likewise if you do not like a woman in a burqa, you cannot promote women roaming around in bikinis. It is my choice however I would like to roam around." "Those who say the burqa does not make anyone pious, yes it does not. And neither is it right for a burkay wali to impose her religious superiority over others. " @ omer Please refrain from going off on a tangent. This issue being discussed her is blaming nudity for Pakistan's problems and one half supporting nudity because it is not linked to Pakistan's problems. While the blog is well written, I do not appreciate the views that it is supporting. We live in a Muslim country and I expect its citizens to behave modestly, otherwise I would gladly move and raise my kids in the West. I do not support nudity although yes I would not butt into anyone life to make them cover up or something. I believe in freedom of expression. The recent debates on whether another woman wearing a niqab makes you uncomfortable or not, because the face is hidden etc, is just absurd. You are surrounded by such people everyday, how can you not be used to it? Plus, if there is even a tiny bit of Muslim inside you, if you have read the Kalma, please refrain from making such comments because theyre not helping you. No, don't go wearing the niqab in France or Greece, because they do not support your religion/culture. When in Rome, do as the Roman's do. Enough said, don't you think?

Ozymandias | 12 years ago | Reply @omer: I just love how anyone who disagrees is branded as indoctrinated. How tolerant of you. Some women will choose to wear Niqab while others will not. As for me, I support the right to choose, whether or not I agree with the choices.

omer | 12 years ago | Reply @anam : your commnets are paradoxical on so many levels, i just wish you could see that... " I will also raise my daughters to respect their bodies and teach them better that looking good for the benefit of the opposite sex is just the hormones talking. " now as u beleive that everything is created by Allah then y were such "unpious" hormones created which force girls to be attracted to men?? but your argument would be, that it is so to test the believers.. remember when christians told us that fossils were placed by god to test us... now the only thing you said coorectly is that women have an innate tendency to look good.. dear anam it is correct in all animals and humans because looking good( which ever way, through bright colours, hormones, etc) increases the chances of mating which means propogation of your own genes which means greater survival chances.. this is how evolution works and our attraction for the opposite sex has evolutionary explanations.. its not so to test believers or anything.. i strongly suggest you to read about evolution... it has most of the answers..

Zeeshan Sheikh | 12 years ago | Reply Wow comments which bashes Islam is allowed here on ET but Comment which quotes Quran is blocked. Your are a true liberal ET.

Love Allah | 12 years ago | Reply some people took my comment as if i am enforcing sumthing on them...that many women n Alhamdulillah I am practicing... All those who felt so are requested to re-read the comment...n don't take it personally...and lead the life as it pleases them...and if still have any pain then..consult a physician

Zeeshan Sheikh | 12 years ago | Reply ET claims to be a liberal newspaper where free speech is allowed but still I am not able to post a single comment. Even though my comments are not abusive but still is blocked because I disagree with ET's liberal views.

sultan bhai | 12 years ago | Reply @author ustad khair tau hai?

Loneliberal PK | 12 years ago | Reply Anum

You call yourself liberals because you promote nudity

That is a terrible misconception that conservatives seem to have latched on to. Liberals are not promoting nudity. They just don't like your attitude of dictating other women what they can or cannot wear. As a liberal, I don't complain if a woman wears headscarf and I don't complain if she wears a mini-skirt. I may not necessarily like what she's wearing, but I would never walk up to her and heckle her about her choice of clothing. What she wears or doesn't wear is her own prerogative. Not everybody follows your cultural or Islamic lifestyle. People are allowed to have different values than you, don't you think?

Anum | 12 years ago | Reply Regarding the comments here that speak of asking to control men, yes, that should also come first. But being a woman, my only responsibility is to my kids. I can raise my sons to respect women and not to objectify them, although it is not going to be an easy task considering the path our society is hell bent on taking. I will also raise my daughters to respect their bodies and teach them better that looking good for the benefit of the opposite sex is just the hormones talking. Women have an innate desire to look good. No, for those men who think this is for the men, it's not, except maybe when ur teenagers and not mature enough. Those who say the burqa does not make anyone pious, yes it does not. And neither is it right for a burkay wali to impose her religious superiority over others. Seriously. I do not wear the hijab although I know I should and it makes me feel guilty everyday. I too do not like burkay wali auntiyan telling me to wear longer sleeves and what not. But I have recently changed my attitude towards them. They are telling me what my religion tells me. I can take the advice or I can fight against my Creator. Again, I do not believe a woman's role is just inside the house. Women are equal to men. But they can play a more constructive role at home. They can shape the society and they can shape the world. "Himmat nahin hai, ya shayad mardon ko akhlaaq ke qaabil hee nahin samajhte?" For most of them, I dont consider men to be capable of morals. Specially those who have a rural mindset and who consider the woman's honour tied to that of the families. These are the men who love to ogle at women and therefore parade them naked on the roads. Parading naked by choice is going to further/satiate the desire of? You know better - men. So to all those girls who say wearing however short clothes is their own choice - it is. For the guys, preach what you believe in your own household first. And no, Pakistan's problems are not because of vulgarity in the society. Don't mix two things together. Our politicians are stupid. We should stand on our own two feet.

Hala | 12 years ago | Reply loved this so much very well written

Hmmm | 12 years ago | Reply And your point is???? Vulgarity is doing wonders for Pakistan? Eh...?

Sadia | 12 years ago | Reply If a woman wants to wear the Hijab because it's a religious duty ,more power to her. What i object to is, her acting as if she is better than me because i don't. My creator is my only judge. Secondly, men are responsible for their own thoughts and actions. Keeping women covered from head to toe will not stop them from thinking about SEX.It's a biological reality. That is how Allah made human kind. It's how we don't act on every instinct or thought which makes us superior to animals. My sisters who wear the hijab, Niqab or Abayas, if you think that men don't have "impure thoughts" about women such as you, you are sadly mistaken. I have lived both in Saudi and in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.Despite all of them being Muslim countries there is a vast difference in their societies. In Kuala Lumpur, i knew i would not be bothered even if i wore shorts but in Riyadh despite wearing the Abbaya i was always scared of being harassed if not by the general population then by the Muttawas. Our society has come to this point because we have forgotten the basic tenets of humanity, tolerance. Tolerate if not accept those who look,behave and believe differently from us.

The Opinionista | 12 years ago | Reply @leila rage: Bravo Leila. You said it all.

Loneliberal PK | 12 years ago | Reply This is no laughing matter. 666,000 people die of nudity every year. Recent studies have shown that lab rats exposed to pictures of Veena Malik are 78% more likely to resort to violent behaviour. WHO is planning to set 28th April as the World Vulgarity Awareness Day, symbolized by a transparent ribbon. If we all join hands, we can defeat vulgarity which is mankind's greatest enemy. We shall then break into a perfectly choreographed dance on the Muppets sountrack.

Musab | 12 years ago | Reply Dear Diary Today, I realised that people are so obsessed with vulgarity, wearing short clothes, showing skins, seducing the other sex that when someone tells them that you can do all you want by only following the religion that has been bestowed to you, they think that it is hitting on their independence. I wished they realised a more elevated role of a woman in the society... no I am not talking about giving birth to children... I am talking about ruling the world... Dear Diary I know they wont take a quote from Qur'an or Hadees seriously. They are so impressed and affected by the west that they would deny them as well in order to continue to destroy their culture, their traditions. Yup thats y they are called liberals... But maybe a poet from the West may impact them... I wish they could read the poem of Willian Ross Wallace "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world"... but alas... they would come up with radical opinions and think that since their opinion is so out of the box so it ought to be correct... Dear Diary I hope they realise the true power of a woman and understand that no one is trying to put them in slavery or stopping them from doing what they want... I wish they realise that we are doing this to protect them from the evils that follow them while they dress inappropriately... I wish they could only realise that its not what we are saying... it is the law of the Creator... I wish Diary, I wish...............

elementary | 12 years ago | Reply Implanting sense of sin and the fear attached to it in the minds of children is such a shameful act.It distorts their thinking forever. Easiest way to oppress is either to glorify the oppressive act or create a gruesome fear for disobeying it.You will get a generation "wilfully" accepting the oppression.

Big Rizvi | 12 years ago | Reply How narrow minded of the religious class to blame everything on women and vulgarity! Can they go any more below the belt?

Parvez | 12 years ago | Reply Loved the step-by-step way you drew the picture and forced one to smile and think of the sheer madness of these bigots let lose on a decent peaceful society.

Amrita | 12 years ago | Reply My favourite was the wearing shorts one....I became friends with this one girl who hailed from a religious family. I had a bit of a shock when I saw his brother in shorts later in summer, before I realized this is normal for us.

Glaedr | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah Power to you. Now please let other women dress as they please too.

Aamna | 12 years ago | Reply Yeah blaming women's "vulgarity" for all that's going wrong in Pakistan is so convenient.

Anum | 12 years ago | Reply I dont know what's wrong with you guys. You call yourself liberals because you promote nudity? Charity begins at home. The day you are okay with your wife/mother/sister/daughter roaming around in public wearing boy shorts and what not, please come and blog about it on Tribune. For now, let us be. I don't know why these so called liberals promote independence of women using their clothes. There is more to women than just their sexuality. Get over it. Covering yourself up is not inhumane or a torture or something that has been forced on anyone. Let it remain a personal choice. Likewise if you do not like a woman in a burqa, you cannot promote women roaming around in bikinis. It is my choice however I would like to roam around. And as far as your religion is concerned, it does not make hijab and burqa as a means of suppressing women, rather it is to celebrate their beauty. Women are not mass commodities for public consumption. There are authentic Hadith and Quranic ayaats that require women to be covered from top to bottom. Rejecting the Quran/Hadith, means you know what. I am actually sick of tribune and its policies regarding liberalism. If you want to copy the West, copy their ethics first. Start going to work on time and do your job. Not promote shamelessness and nudity. Seriously, before opening your mouth you guys should seriously decide where you stand. You might not practice it yourself, but at least stop spreading idioticity.

raheela | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah With my veil I put my faith on display – rather than my beauty. My value as a human is defined by my relationship with God, not by my looks. I cover the irrelevant. And when you look at me, you don’t see a body. You view me only for what I am: a servant of my Creator. I think rather than this stuff(blog) your comment is fooling us and urself.....Why only women need to to clad herself in black from head to toe all the time to display her faith whynot for Men..Is this the only thing by which you can display your faith..Please try something else to display ur faith which can really help and leads to peaceful society rather than creating turbulance and debate that i am religiously superior than you..Or that I am shareef as I am wearing Nikab..The never ending conflicted debate..!! peace

elementary | 12 years ago | Reply This is an absolutely brilliant piece, Salman.

elementary | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah: I can only sympathize with your hollow romanticism. If wrapping yourself in deathly black piece of cloth from top to toe takes you closer to GOD ,by all means do it,However just do us a favour:Don't force it on others. Citing opposite extreme to justify your own extreme is a lame logic.No one is asking for a display of beauty just a rational attitude towards human body.

Syed Owais Mukhtar | 12 years ago | Reply Dear Diary, We know that these liberal are very modern, hey you know what is modernism? its removing your cloth and showing some part of your body, so from now on I also want to be a liberal and modern, so I will travel complete naked, another thing,, my dog and cat are also very modern and liberal too, they too be naked all the time,

Mj | 12 years ago | Reply @omer: Very few systems of oppression have the oppressed themselves defending it. Such is the beauty of indoctrination.

Adeel | 12 years ago | Reply Salman this blog was really amazing, i was wondering from long time to tell every one the same i mean what the big deal in it any way , make your self a little bit broad minded , think positively and live in peace.

Usman Shahid | 12 years ago | Reply I might not agree with everything or content, but the way the author has presented, is really good. Well done

imran siddiqui | 12 years ago | Reply commendable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Faizan Afzal | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah: Great comment ! May god bless you and prevent us from this cultural imperialism.

The Opinionista | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah: Hum auraton ki chadar aur chaar dewaari mein qaid ke sakht mukhalif hain! Aurat aik fard hai, kissi mard ki jaagir nahin. Samaji tahaffuz ke naam par aurat ki harkat pazeeri par paabandiyan lagaana na ma'quliyat ki inteha hai, aur mehaz zan bezaar samaaji rawayyon ka nateejah hai. Suno, nizaam-e-pidri ke muhaafiz, auraton par pabandiyaan lagaane ke bajaae kabhi mardon ko sharam o haya ki takeed kyun nahin karte? Himmat nahin hai, ya shayad mardon ko akhlaaq ke qaabil hee nahin samajhte? Translation: We are harshly opposed to the imprisonment of women in seclusion! A woman is an individual, not any man's property. To put restrictions on women's mobility in the name of social protection is the height of irrationality, and is merely a consequence of misogynistic social attitudes. Listen, defenders of the patriarchal order, instead of putting restrictions on women, why don't you ever insist that men observe shame and modesty? Do you lack the moral courage, or do you perhaps not believe men are capable of moral behavior?

hj | 12 years ago | Reply Dear kitab, We are going to celebrate April 27 as aunty vulgarism’s day. I’m not sure if she is my khala or phuppi. LOL!!!! I thought these JI type idiots don't celebrate certain days! ANTI VULGARITY DAY SHOULD BE EVERY DAY NOT ONE DAY!! - the crap they say about mother's day, etc

leila rage | 12 years ago | Reply @Love Allah: If you want to wear the veil it is you choice and no one is insulting you. BUT if others dont want to wear the veil, why do you have to be so condescending about them and assume that they reduce themselves to 'a pair of legs' or are objectified? YOU may feel liberated and free because of YOUR decision, but that does NOT mean that if someone else doesn't make the same decision they are wrong. Its disappointing that feminists like me would NEVER dream of being condescending or rude about your veil, or forcing you to remove it BUT people like YOU have no hesitation in condemning us as objects of desire and loose women. Your judgemental attitude reflects your 'piety' so well.

The Opinionista | 12 years ago | Reply @Diary Kid - again: Of course, because life is in binary. You either conflate fundamentalism with "religion" or you're a liberal. Get yourself a library membership. It'll do you good.

Mj | 12 years ago | Reply @ALi: Amazing dichotomy you have constructed there. So not locking up women in homes or black tents is considered promoting 'vulgarity' and 'nudity'?

omer | 12 years ago | Reply @love allah: ur a classic case of Stockholm syndrome....plz dont insult other women who fight for "liberation" day in and day out..

ALi | 12 years ago | Reply awww poor liberals!!!! crying out loud!! when liberals know how to solve problems then solve it rather than crying on others who are just protesting against heights of vulgarity/nudity being promoted.

Love Allah | 12 years ago | Reply The answer lies here.. Dont fool urself and us by writing such stuff: So to those who wish to ‘liberate’ me, I have only one thing to say: “Thanks, but no thanks.” I’m not here to be on display. And my body is not for public consumption. I will not be reduced to an object, or a pair of legs to sell shoes. I’m a soul, a mind, a servant of God. My worth is defined by the beauty of my soul, my heart, my moral character. So, I won’t worship your beauty standards, and I don’t submit to your fashion sense. My submission is to something higher. With my veil I put my faith on display – rather than my beauty. My value as a human is defined by my relationship with God, not by my looks. I cover the irrelevant. And when you look at me, you don’t see a body. You view me only for what I am: a servant of my Creator. You see, as a Muslim woman, I’ve been liberated from a silent kind of bondage. I don’t answer to the slaves of God on earth. I answer to their King.

haroon | 12 years ago | Reply Hahaha... This is a fabulous example of comedy in errors :)

Abid P Khan | 12 years ago | Reply @Hina Khan: "The maulvis can’t accept strong,independent,intelligent women so they resort to using slurs to keep females under their feet. " . My sympathies are totally with you. You did not have any choice, being born a female.....(read: wrong sex). In the beloved country of yours. the odds are against you. You have to realise, that the "value" and role of women are dictated by religious decrees. According to the Beardos your wish for being a fulfledged human being is in sharp contrast with the teachings he received, and he can back it up by holy text! For him a woman is nothing but a child producing machine, like the rest of her three sisters. Unless you are ready to stand on the barricades, not much will change. Not on a sunny afternoon.

omer | 12 years ago | Reply excellent blog salman....superb..dont worry about the body-of-a-woman-is-the-source-of-all-evil apologists..

Adeel | 12 years ago | Reply Classic case of liberals (atheists/agnostics/disbelievers, etc, as is the case in Pakistan) vs religious fanatics... you are BOTH wrong.

Ayesha | 12 years ago | Reply I agree disgusting blog and for all those women or men supporting vulgarity instead of calling anyone who tries to tell the right thing what Allah has told a mullah, maulana minty making fun of them go and read Quran yourself specially those muslim women who are in support of wearing any clothes they like. Ignore any maulana just open Quran/hadith and read yourself what Allah and prophet (PBUH) has said about women its all written there and being a muslim you should be following that not western culture mullah maybe wrong so you can ignore what they say but Quran isnt wrong and its Quran that said that women should cover them self when they go out, Women can do all the things in hijab also that they do without wearing it so instead if making fun of hijab, maulana's and indirectly making fun of what Quran has said about women hijab take some time out and read Quran with translation hopefully you will understand what you should wear and what not. Writer of the blog if you are a muslim kindly read Quran and its tafseer and hadith specially thats related to women and what they should wear and what not and then decide if this blog should be deleted or not.

Diary Kid - again | 12 years ago | Reply Dear Kitab, I am a liberal and I feel like I am on the top of the world with all my knowledge and degrees. Everyone except me is wrong as I am a "LIBERAL". I don't respect religion and instead I make fun of it... U know I am "An educated elite liberal"

Amir-The Kid | 12 years ago | Reply Dear Diary, Who are you listening to ? Kids ?... They are just too young to have an opinion on such an issue. Amir The Diary kid.

Habib Tahir | 12 years ago | Reply The weeping Liberals :) i can feel your pain ahahah

hira | 12 years ago | Reply On the red point! touched

Sabeer Lodhi | 12 years ago | Reply You've found a new fan for your posts - me!

Sakshi | 12 years ago | Reply @Faisal: It's your comment that is disgusting!

Faisal | 12 years ago | Reply Another disgusting blog !!!

PappuBarista | 12 years ago | Reply Hey I got a diary too. Come visit and give me your thoughts. PB

Aunty-Vulgar | 12 years ago | Reply Awww this was rather cute. For a moment i thought it was Zohair Toru who wrote this.

Jahanzaib Haque | 12 years ago | Reply

Brilliant.

Maliha Amjad | 12 years ago | Reply The vulgarity is all in the heads of the religious fascists who want to force all women to walk around in Black prisons. From birth girl in our misogynistic society are constantly told that ''naik'' , ''achi'' girls are the ones who feel ashamed of their bodies and who feel ashamed of their gender. The more a girl hates her gender the more ''naik'' she becomes in our patriarchal society. As long as a woman acts like a slave and a servant,she is hailed as the perfect daughter,sister,wife. The moment a woman wants to be considered as an equal human being to a man she is labelled as a bad woman to be avoided at all costs.

Hina Khan | 12 years ago | Reply This is all a battle for control over females.The maulvis can't accept strong,independent,intelligent women so they resort to using slurs to keep females under their feet. The mullah( bearded or clean-shaven) can't tolerate any woman who has the courage to make herself the decisions of her life. What all the mullahs want is, a woman who worships the ground her majazi khuda walks on, who acts like a pet animal and who doesn't use her own brain at all,but lets the men in her family decide everything for her. Forcing women to walk around in hijabs,abayas and burkas is a way to publicly show off a man's dominance over his wife,sisters etc. Calling women who don't wear burkas as 'loose'' women is just a pathetic tactic used to get women to do what the religious men want them to do.In a patriarchal society like ours the only 'good' , 'shareef'' woman is the one who does whatever men command her to do,the women who dare to use their intelligence are insulted and ridiculed to discredit them.

Abdul Rafay | 12 years ago | Reply This sick obsesion of religious fanatics with the bodies of women and what type of clothes they wear has reached disgusting levels.All the religious people seem to worry about is the length of a girl's clothes. At the heart of their concern for women lies their fixation with controlling every aspect of the lives of women,they want women to be their slaves,to do whatever they tell them to do. This misogynistic mentality is that of a highly insecure man,who worries all the time that his wife will leave him once she realizes what a loser he is. Insecure men than try to hide their insecurities using religion so that the woman is intimidated into doing their bidding. Women should be smart enough now not to fall for the emotional blackmailing done by men who use religion as a tool to oppress and enslave women.

RiffyR | 12 years ago | Reply haha this is hilarious! and kind of sad too. I wish a larger faction of our population could read/understand this.

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