I am pro-purdah because I believe it is one’s personal choice.
KARACHI: This is with reference to Fawad Shah’s story “Zamzama hit by burqa-clad thieves” (September 3).
I am pro-purdah because I believe it is one’s personal choice. But I have to say that I have been a victim of such theft myself. While I was at the tailor’s shop, two women wearing hijabs stood beside me. Soon enough one of them had her hands inside my handbag. Luckily my cell phone and wallet both were in my hands. When I protested, they started misbehaving. Burqa-clad women are a common site in local buses too. They board buses in groups, stealing things from other women’s bags in a most professional way. Shopkeepers who can afford running a shop in Zamzama (a main upscale shopping area in Karachi) can afford to install cameras. And hiring female guards doesn’t seem to be a bad idea either. Naturally I get conscious whenever I am in a market and some burqa-clad woman is hovering nearby, and for many people. Having said that we should not be judging all those who choose to wear this attire based on the actions of a few. Besides, there is no guarantee that someone who doesn’t wear a burqa will not steal either.
Sarah B Haider
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2010.
