Men wearing gold not allowed in Islam say most Pakistanis

A majority of Pakistanis believe Islam does not permit men to wear either gold or silk.

ISLAMABAD: Almost 82 per cent of Pakistanis are of the opinion that wearing gold and 79 per cent believe that wearing silk clothes are not allowed to men in Islam.

Another 28 per cent also assume that men are not permitted to use mehndi (henna) in Islam, said the findings of a survey conducted by Gilani Research Foundation-Gallup Pakistan.

In the survey, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked the following question:

In your opinion are men allowed to do the following acts according to Islam?

Gold: 82 percent said that men are not permitted to wear gold in Islam as opposed to 14 per cent who said they are. Another 4 per cent were unsure and gave no response.

Silk: 79 per cent stated that wearing silk clothes is not allowed by men in Islam whereas 14 per cent said it is. Another 7 per cent gave no response.

Henna: 62 per cent said that men are allowed to use mehndi (henna) while 28 per cent said they are not. 10 per cent gave no response.

A detailed analysis of the survey revealed that relatively, people in rural areas (17 per cent) were of the opinion that men are permitted to wear gold in Islam as compared to 9 per cent urbanites who believe that men are permitted to do so.

As far as the usage of mehndi (henna) was concerned, more urbanites (35 per cent) assumed that usage of mehndi is prohibited for men as compared to its rural counterparts (24per cent).