Sell clothes, not your honour, screams a billboard in Karachi, part of a mysterious campaign against the plethora of lawn advertisements in the city.
While no match for the number of banners and billboards advertising the latest lawn fabric collections, over a dozen from this campaign have popped up across town. Their main objection appears to be over ‘immorality’, since the advertisements feature female models in sleeveless or backless clothes with risque necklines.
The campaign has been attributed to unheard of groups such as the Women Education Society and the Women Professional Forum. Their anti-immorality advertisements have been spotted near Islamia College, along Shahrah-e-Faisal and in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
“These are not paid advertisements. People are putting up banners over the billboards late at night,” said Akhter Sheikh, the head of the Karachi Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) outdoor advertisement department. “There is nothing we can do about it.”
The KMC and Sindh Outdoor Advertisers Association (SOAA) are clueless about who is behind the campaign, and no religious or political organisation has claimed it is their handiwork.
Even though the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) recently launched a campaign against vulgarity, it denies involvement. However, the spokesperson for its women’s wing Aliya Mansoor insisted that the campaign is a reflection of public outrage against the use of women as a ‘commodity’.
“Women from every section of society have been coming to us and pleading that something needs to done about the degeneration of our values,” Mansoor claimed.
According to her, lawn fabric has been in use for years but was ‘never marketed in such a vulgar way’. “Our campaign against nudity is not limited to billboards. The entire content on television needs to be checked. We are not against the media but there is a limit to freedom of speech and expression.”
She said JI is not scared of using its own name when it comes to defying ‘nudity’. “We need funds and resources to run such a drive through billboards and other means. But it remains our utmost desire to do that and we will do it.”
However, sources in the advertising sector believe JI is behind the campaign but is not using the party’s name to suggest that the movement has mass support. A member of the JI who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions confirmed the party’s involvement and explained that they were putting the messages over existing ads because they couldn’t afford to rent billboards on their own. It costs about Rs20,000 to rent a billboard for a month in Gulshan and up to Rs50,000 in Clifton.
“The banners have been put on the billboards by hired men,” the JI source explained, adding that they did it at night.
Outdoor advertisers are too scared to comment. “It is common for political and religious parties to take over billboards. If we remove their banners, they call and threaten us,” said an advertiser who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The ire of the campaigners isn’t restricted to angry slogans. At different sites, photos of models in lawn advertisements have been blacked out and banners have been torn down. A Lux advertisement featuring Meera and a Veet advertisement with Indian actor Katrina Kaif have not been spared either.
Ex-chairperson of the SOAA Mashood Merchant wonders why the ire was directed at billboards. “The same models appear in television advertisements in the same clothes. They should be stopped first.”
The legality of lawn ads
The KMC laws on the matter are vague. According to clause 5-1 (3) on the use of billboards, anything that is deemed vulgar or upsets any segment of society is prohibited.
“This is tricky,” said a KMC official. “Now it can be anyone’s guess what is vulgar and otherwise. Is showing arms, the back or the neck nudity? I can’t say.”
Abid Umer, the director of Al Karam, one of the largest manufacturers of lawn, says the advertisements comply with the laws. “Our advertisements are not even close to being vulgar. These campaigns don’t represent the majority of customers.”
There are laws against using women for advertisements in Saudi Arabia and Iran, he said. “If the government pass such a law here, we will comply with it. We advertise within the boundaries of morality.” He said that the Pakistan Advertisers’ Society must take notice of the situation. “This year there was a specific focus on billboards to connect with customers. Next year, I am expecting marketing to go digital. As brands we want to get noticed.”
Couturier Umar Sayeed, who also designs fabric for Al Karam, says it is time to fight back. “We make and advertise what the whole world wants to wear.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (84)
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Ghairat was sold to US in exchange for dollars in early 2000s, and people are trying to find on trees and billboards. So sad/
I think Advertisements reflect the society and if such advertisements are on display which do not tally with the society then people are bound to retaliate. Pakistan is a very religious country and some topics are very hush hush as they are considered immodest to be discussed or seen with others. If 99% of the Pakistanis do not expose themselves like these models or do not want to see such girls then why put them up on billboards? Do in Rome as Romans do…and this is not a Pakistani proverb
@Umair Rana: Before giving example of false reports of zionist funded NGO'S check out facts victims of rape were never trialled under hudood ordinance and HO is nomore.cz of lies of NGO'S .Go to the website of Al khidmat.wch is welfare wing of Jamaat e Islami and biggest NGO of Pakistan.it has billions of projects going on with the help of People in education and specially health care.Religious NGO's are always ahead in relief work weather it is flood,earthquake or Swat IDPS.were as foreign funded corrupt NGO's are doing nothing but they are just on a zionist agenda to completely deIslamize Pakistan.More than it already is
@Fahad Zia:
No you dont. What you have is prosecution of rape victims.
In one very large study by an NGO in certain villages from 6 districts across KPK and Sindh, 90% of women had been beaten up within the past one year by men in their families including their own grown up sons and many of these felt that it was felt it was perfectly fine. Nearly 2/3 reported repeatedly having to put up with sex including violent sex with their own husbands (read non consensual).
How they feel about being a woman. 90% reported having an ultrasound to check for a female fetus in at least one of their pregnancies. Ratio of men to women in our society: 1.07:1. That is around 8-9% higher for men than the world average. So female abortions and infanticide.
Please think about what you are saying. It does not do well to promote cruelty in any guise including that of honour or religion.
I think ET allegation on JI was false no evidence.JI has campaigned openly against many things which were much more sensitive openly and successfully.And JI women wing has started a campaign against vulgarity.1000s of women took part in JI women wing rally against vulgarity few weeks back in Karachi.So it is very unlike JI to do this sort of thing mysteriously.I think ET is trying malign this movement started by women and it was working women society a organization of religious oriented female professionals whom rented this billboards to peacefully register their protest and condemnation against women advertisement.ET and other mentally colonized so called liberals are shocked at this movement cz it has come from noble women of Pakistan rather than the Mullah.but they trying to stop this movement with false news and bringing in Mullah into it.as is if Only Mullah is against this nonsense and the rest of the nation is just like them wch is obviously not the case.
Even if you did not advertise your lawn with half-naked women, people will still buy your lawn. And this year the billboards were simply horrifying. What are these women thinking? Showing off their bodies in such vulgar manners, is woman just a commodity now? Are women to be used to SELL things? Very very disgusting. Vesey tou these models want to attend high class functions and be part of the elite class, but what about your bodies that are displayed all over the city and so-called 'low-class', 'labour class' men that you want to stay away from, stare at you and fantasize about you...Society of hypocrites!
If secularity means throwing morals out of the window and taking of women's clothes in the public, I'd rather not go for it.
I think above all arguments should end with the qoute from Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman about Hijab:
Quote
Human being in early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes. What I am today and what Iam wearing represents the highest level of thought and civilization that human being has achieved, and is not regressive. It's the removal of clothes again that is a regression back to the ancient times
Un quote
I am also amazed at the hypocrisy and ignorance of some of the characterless lusty men commenting against this peaceful campaign and championing freedom of women.and bashing Mulah even though women have started this campaign. everyone who lives in Pakistan knows that majority of women in our country oppose this advertisement of women by the name of fashion wch is systematic exploitation,degradation and humiliation of women.And majority of women who have commented on ET about this support the campaign wch is a big slap on the face of so called liberal man.ET is basically trying to show that only Mullah are against vulgarity the rest of the society and women are not against it.Even though it is quit clear from ET on page that women are against this more than Men.CZ Pakistan women are not immodest they Daughters of Ayesha and Fatima.As devout Muslim we respect them honour them.We want them to be Doctors,engineers,scientists,entrepreneurs,teachers,lawyers,politicians,journalists,etc. but we don't want them to be systematically exploited by filthy man and media outlets like ET as super models,beauty pegnant,pornagraphers,and prostitutes.
if someone doesn't like the ad please close your eyes. Don't try to impose your will on us. thanks. Zia era is over. :)
Pakistan should build a police system that is strong enough to stop these hooligans from imposing their will on the majority like the the rest of the world does. Second next time these billboards should have cameras installed to record the people who are doing this. Then prosecute. (Like the rest of the world). Its not rocket science. 1. Camera 2. record 3. prosecute.
Mr Writer where is the freedom of speech now ?
This is nothing but plain theft from those lawn companies who rented the billboards. Accordingly, this group who covered up the billboards should be tried under Shariah and have all their hands cut off. I assume, they cannot argue against Islamic justice.
Agreed and this is a good step to prevent nudity
@A2Z I AGREED with you
I love the way media people use "who did not want to be named" when they don't have any proof for their fabricated claim.
How about this:
"A media person who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions confirmed Pakistani media's involvement in a project to extirpate the islamic values from people's minds in return for a few dinners at US embassy"
The issue mainly pertains to the dignity of women and it is very strange that only a handful of women have commented or argued and those handful arguments are in favor of this campaign. So I say that men talking against this campaign should ward off and respect the views by the women.
Simply think of women within our own circles (family, friends & colleagues); how many of them like to present themselves like the models on the billboards? You will get the answer.
As of comments by couturier Umar Sayeed and others like him, please note that you people do not represent majority of people of Pakistan, I respect your work because you are doing is with a sincere heart but the fact is that you people are only in the main stream because you have the money and unfortunately in today’s world money is the power.
Nudity is not our problem, its extremism, poverty and ignorance. these mullah have nothing to do but take these non-issues & destroy our fashion industry. are we still living in 1400 century? no wonder foreign investors are scared to death dealing in any buisness. for god sake who gave them right to destroy public property. time to act against these mullahs.
@PTItsunami: they haven't been spending any money on it bro. seems like u missed the point of the article
Great job by Women education society! anyway name is nothing but the efficiency is important! I am in touch with women of all segments of life,who were worried about these disgusting billboards, now relaxed!!. Only sick mentality was entertaining on these hanging nudity,and now worry! if you like these evil scene enjoy in your screens not would be allow on public places.
Both parties are wrong here. Firstly, the ones who put lawn ads have to respect the general definition of decency in our society and our culture. Secondly, the ones putting late night banners should not illegally do such thing. You are not allowed to break the law because the other person is doing so.
@PTItsunami: it is being done already. but to keep modesty is the same level to do.
@Sana
U just proved me right. Thnx
Its surprising for me that why ET is so bothered about a campaign and publishing series of articles in favour of 'advertising lawns' (read vulgarity).
Marketing should be done in the bounds of 'ethics'. Whatever our personal opinion is, there must be some moral standards defined. Anyone who is behind this campaign is doing a good job and the cause needs to be supported. However its again strange for me that the author is blatantly trying to tag this campaign with JI. I suppose this campaign is being run by the 'real civil society' of the country, which is against immodesty and vulgarity.
my family owns a lawn company that does not use models for advertising....guess what not a smart decision, stupid, but can work if your FABRIC/PRINTS are superior and if other people don't try stealing them that is! As for this right wing group, some one please tell me who they are so i can arrange for a decent response haha idiots. Pakistan grow the up!!
@Fahad Zia: Pakistan is the world's leading supplier of people ignorantly following the ignorant. Though what's sad about that is, an ignorant person is usually too ignorant to know they're ignorant.
@Abbas: .where according to US department of justice by average everyday 576 are raped.
Could you please provide me the links for the webpage where I can verify your claims......
its easy to talk about a country thousands of miles away from you....But never mudsling others without having any proof in your hand....
@Fahad Zia: No you don't. You just have people too scared to report it.
JI being ignorant of it is just a complete lie. It's no coincidence that it happened right after they brought the issue up. At best it was a group of their supporters given the nod to go ahead but intending to deny all involvement as a rule.
@MUSLIM: Somebody who is clearly lawless thought of this campaign. Taking over billboards that are paid for by someone else and taking them over forcibly and in a cowardly manner is totally wrong. Regardless of what one thinks of the ads on the billboards, one cannot do that.
Your support of this is showing your support of someone who is breaking the law, MUSLIM.
@Ubaid: The people who are putting these ridiculous 'morality banners' are the ones who are breaking the law by being vigilantes (taking the law into their own hands) by blocking these ads that are paid for are the ones who are WRONG. Even if one is to believe your point of view (that these ads should be taken down), you should remember that two wrongs do not make a right. Plus, these ads are not forcing you or the women in your family from buying their products. I have issues w the lawn ads too (though not the same ones as you) but you will not find me forcibly taking then down or defacing them. THAT is what is plain wrong.
@Nadeem Saeed: Hypocracy means nothing the them. Laws (man made) mean nothing to them. They believe they are doing God's work, and so they are free to do whatever they choose. The ethical death spiral of a society continues.
Great campaign...Now whats the problem of liberal fascists, this campaign is not forcing anybody to follow them. They are just telling right or wrong. Its up to the audience to accept it or not. Oh I forget freedom of speech only exists for liberals to use for their own purpose otherwise its "sick mentality".
@Ali Tanoli:
Because in the 90's all of us lived with our heads up our backside, we didn't know what was cooking for the 2000's.
verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry good
@Adnan: yeah but the society will drown in liberal and secular extremism!
@Sidrah Anwar: Well your comment shows the height of Secular Extremism! It is a positive initiative. Maybe despite advising why dont you start being positive.
@Asif Khan: The more the man is civilized he is in full clothes. Well if the removing clothes is modernism then you might go down the level of animals !
@PTItsunami: dear , you might have not read, they are not paying for the advertise! there is nothing has to be pay to stop a vulgarity, it has to be stop by force and they are doing it... !
Thinking neutrally n reasonably, if Vulgarity n obscenity can be promoted without any 'hue and cry' from all the modernists, why is everyone screaming if someone has actually shown the courage to stop this Indecency. Being a woman, I abhorr seeing women projected as 'Objects for Sale' or Commodities. As for the Question whether JI is behind this or not, I think that JI has proven it's credentials time n again and has come out as the only 'Clean' Political Party so far in Pakistan, also they always indulge in declared campaigns, so if they say they r not behind this, I believ them, although in my eyes whoever is behind this campaign is commendable. Hats off to JI's Campaign Against Vulgarity also.
I wish I could always live in the 80's, the era of innocense and courteousness which is quite vanished nowadays from our society.
How will lawn companies sell gahirat? There's none left all was grabbed by Muslims who sell ti whenever they want to. So the basic premise is wrong. No ghairat left all usurped and auctioned by Muslims, mullahs, politicians and the ghairat birgade.
pakistan was not like this in nintees...
@Click Here: click ur a typically ignorant hypocrite u need to read ppc thr is no law wch requires 4 witnesses.Even under Huddod ordinance for HUD 4 witnesses were required but under section10/3 any evidence was acceptable. but ever since so called women protection bill has been passed 4 witnesses are required under any clues.its a fact that in Pakistan ratio of Rape is very low and the evidence is our safe and secure family system and high birth rate.we dont have over a million abortions without any medical emergency like they do in US.where according to US department of justice by average everyday 576 are raped. cz of immodesty.In our country its much lower kids know the names of there fathers we dont have a generation full of illegitimates.
“This is tricky,” said a KMC official. “Now it can be anyone’s guess what is vulgar and otherwise. Is showing arms, the back or the neck nudity? I can’t say.”
So the question is Who decides? Well guys, How about God himself??? All these people including women who are defending vulgarity and blaming mullahs, and asking why they are so obsessed with womens clothes?? well guys they are not, you may assume what you like, but I Know many of them don
t have cables or even TVs at homes, they lower there gaze when they see women, they are doing there part, but they have no choice but to warn others as well because they are under direct orders from God and obeying the laws given by the Quran and Sunnah, if you got a problem with that then you got a problem with God himself, and if you dont beleive in God, then please do make sure he doesnt exist before you die, coz if you are wrong then these "mullahs" will simply say "we warned them" and youll have no excuse, so please please finish your research, in Time.Is showing arms, the back or the neck nudity? I can’t say.”
of course, why will you say that! you're enjoying it bro.
Maybe its time for these people to cease being concerned with sex and sexuality and concentrate more on education - this goes for both the advertisers and the mullahs
As soon as the Mullahs stop selling their Imaan, the women will do as they ask.
thumbs up to this campaign! i wonder who initiated it?
Its funny that Ji lies about doing this yet they talk about morality
@Shayan TJ: Pakistan keeps surprising me (in unfortunate ways). My thoughts exactly!
This is plain "Gunda-gardi" in the garbs of "saving modesty" (whatever that means). If one feels so strongly about something, protest in the right manner at least. These fanatics not only took over someone else's property but also have the audacity of justifying it. More shocking than this incident is the fact that there are people on this forum supporting it. And then, there's posts criticizing ET for reporting it. Mindbogglingly twisted thought process!
@Fahad Zia: You have a lower rape ratio? You have zero rape ratio because of the ridiculous 4 witness law.
@Samee: sleeveless is bad...i agree but that is certainly not scarcity of clothes.....it can be termed as tasteless but nothing more.........
Isn't it illegal that Women Education Society is advertising their message while someone else is paying for the billboard? Or is encroaching declared halal here too just as in case of building an illegal mosque over encroached lands without buying it.
mullahs are not concerned about terrorism, only obsessed with women's bodies.
Burqa on billboards
Why preciously are all the fanatics always obsessed with what women are wearing? Just leave the models alone; its their bodies and their 'honour' to worry about..
Hmm.. In a way I am tried of objectification of women. Mere objects we are not but sadly society cannot think of women as something more then pretty, powdered things.
What is their problem. Could never understand these so called antiquated ghairat-mands.
Waiting to see bikini ads on Karachi billboards
what a bunch of cavemen! they make me laugh. and the world laughs with me at them :)
I think Advertisements reflect the society and if such advertisements are on display which do not tally with the society then people are bound to retaliate. Pakistan is a very religious country and some topics are very hush hush as they are considered immodest to be discussed or seen with others. If 99% of the Pakistanis do not expose themselves like these models or do not want to see such girls then why put them up on billboards? Do in Rome as Romans do...and this is not a Pakistani proverb
We are in a time when the wrong is no longer considered wrong. This is a clear example of that, a few people who do consider it wrong and putting an effort to convey the message are being labelled as ppl with sick mentality, I am afraid to say that they are the ones with sick mentality who think wrong is right and are willing to go to any length to prove so. I say shame on them and ask them what will they feel if their own sisters and daughters are on the billboards with such immoral clothing!!!!
Bohat aala! 2 thumbs up to this campaign, made me smile ear to ear :)
@Fahad Zia:
No you don't,shaming rape victims into remaining silent doesn't translate into lower rape ratios.Living in denial about the religious misogyny in our society won't change the sad reality of our society.Preventing rape victims from coming out and registering cases against their rapists because it would damage the ''honour'' of the men in the family is what campaigns like this one encourage.All this propaganda of ''ghairat'' that the religious fascists impose on women to keep them submissive and under their control is fooling no one.
yeah totally agree that ET is spreading liberal fascism ET doesnt even respect our moral values
Dear Writer Come on you better know you cant view such ads with your family. there are some moral grounds and divine guidance to follow in order to comply with come moral ethics.
Such disgusgting hypocrisy by the religious hooligans! They are putting up their banners in the dead of the night on billboards which have been paid for by other people.These religious ppl are screaming over immorality,what about their theft of billboard space hired by someone else? They are freeloading of the space bought by someone else. Why is our govt. allowing these religious fascists to harass and intimidate our public? Why is the govt. so scared of the religious rightwing in our country.By allowing these people to spread their extreme religious propaganda the present govt. is contributing towards the creation of a highly misogynistic and regressive society.
It's because of people like these we'll never be a liberal and secular society
@asif khan : Still we have a lower rape ratio then your own beloved liberal fascist neighborhoods..
What is RIGHT is being highlighted as WRONG and opposite to common beliefs in the fascist world of ET.. You have enough freedom of doing that and you still want more.. ET control yourself..
"We are not against the media but there is a limit to freedom of speech and expression.”
Limit to freedom? Is it just me or is that what freedom is ABOUT?
The amount of time religious people spend worrying about what women wear could be better spent elsewhere on positive initiatives.The extreme fascination with hiding women under walking prisons gives an insight as to the mentality of the religious fanatics.
A company hires a model to display its product; what the hell has honour got to do with it?
The mentality behind such campaigns is the mentality that promotes sexual harassment and rape of women.The sick fixation of the religious fascists with the bodies of women and the lenghts of their clothes have led to a society full of misogynistic cavemen.
"Women Education Group" - Instead of spending money in these petty billboards, it would have been better if these hooligans had bulit a school for the girls of Lyari or Sultanabad.
I am sorry but some of the billboards were out-of-bounds. There was a scarcity of clothes on boards advertising clothes.
Pakistan keeps surprising me (in unfortunate ways).