Muashara

(2 mins read) A few weeks ago, one of the most famous religious scholar, Maulana Tariq Jamil was again in news. During the PM Imran Khan’s live telethon on the national television, he had held women of Pakistan responsible for the corona-virus pandemic. This invited a great wave of outrage a cross Pakistan.  It’s not the first time that Tariq Jamil(or any orthodox religious leader for that matter) has blamed the women for bringing in a disaster. Earlier women were responsible for earthquakes and now a pandemic.  Their version of religion starts and ends on women’s bodies but sometimes it serves as a mirror when you realize how women’s bodies have historically been used as a political tool against a whole segment of society.  When Tariq Jamil or any religious/political leader calls women the nation’s daughters and puts the burden of modesty on their shoulders, it’s a reminder that the state has created an idea of womanhood and failing to adhere to that will resul...

(2 min read) The recent wave of Corona virus has been received in a very mixed way by the masses of Pakistan. Some were very cautious of the pandemic and isolated themselves but majority of the people are still seen roaming around in the streets and markets. A barber at a hairdressing facility in Multan mentioned " Sir ye kia hona hai virus se bhala bass imaan kamzor hain logon k " (This virus isn't going to hurt anyways, we just lack faith in Almighty). In the neighborhood, a mosque was getting empty because of the corona-virus fear and the Congregation preachers (تبلیغی جماعت)  started going door to door to invite people for a congregation convincing them that it should not be fear. A fifteen years old boy playing cricket on the street, when told to isolate and not to move around in the streets, mentioned: it's just a propaganda they (the western lobby) wants to isolate us and they tell us not to shake hands even, how can we promote love and peace then? Well ...