People are using feminism to spread vulgarity: Shahroz Sabzwari

Actor believes whatever his wife said was an expression of love and feminism is being used to spread vulgarity.

Popular actor Shahroz Sabzwari has appeared on another TV show – after the preceding, viral interview featuring him and his wife – to elaborate what Sadaf Kanwal really meant when she said “Our husbands are our culture.”

The fiasco that followed Sadaf and Shahroz’s previous interview led many to question why Sadaf would talk about her personal life and decisions to describe feminism and culture. And by doing so, misrepresent a movement which has already been misconstrued. Many also inquired why the host would ask Sadaf, out of all the people, questions about feminism. But now, Shahroz has stated that whatever Sadaf said was an “expression of her love for her husband,” adding that it was “in line with Islamic values and the hadith.”

He claimed, “First of all I’d like to point out that only 10% of Pakistanis are against Sadaf, I will talk about them later. But 90% are standing with her."

The Dil Ruba actor added, “No woman would willingly want do everything Sadaf said she would do for me, unless she is happy with her husband and not oppressed. This should tell you that Sadaf is not oppressed and she said what she said because it is her way of expressing her love. And likewise, in return, I am willing to do more.”

He went on to urge the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to give its women the same kind of respect and status Islam has given them. “But black sheep are everywhere in the world,” he continued, “and by that I mean women around the world are subjected to violence and that does not mean the violence is justified. But If my wife is listing down ways she feels she can express her love to me and it irks 10% of Pakistanis who share her old videos to justify their claims, then they have weakened their case themselves."

He went onto reinstate that since “Islam gives us the chance to repent, and you don’t know if someone has repented, how can you bring up their past to throw dirt on them?” Shahroz added that “Sadaf and I, and my family stand with the oppressed women. But we don’t stand with women who want to normalise vulgarity.”

This interview of Shahroz also featured actor Salma Zafar, who told him that Sadaf may not have used the correct words to convey whatever she was trying to say. And when he claimed that feminism was being used as a tool to spread vulgarity with slogans like “Allah bhi dega Azaadi, being used to propagate women’s freedom to wear what they want,” both the host and Salma told him that several clips from the Aurat March had been doctored, and several slogans, misconstrued.

But to this Shahroz contested, “Similarly, "If ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’ has been misconstrued, then so has what Sadaf said. And we believe whatever Sadaf said was in accordance with Islam and hadith. And I agree that feminism is meant to give a voice to the women who are oppressed but don’t you think people are using feminism to normalise vulgarity?”

In response to this, Salma claimed, “I will tell you that more than half of the oppressed women think feminism means women can wear jeans and leave their homes without taking their brothers’ permission.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.