Two years back I went to Dubai to intern for a month. While doing so I one happened to surf across Pakistani TV channels and man! I felt like Pakistan was nothing but an apocalyptic land where nothing other than violence, bloodshed and destruction happened. These channels portrayed our country like it was a habitat of civilian and political beasts.
Being a resident of Karachi I have a relatively balanced perception of what happens in it and what does not as compared to those who live elsewhere. But even my perception is greatly biased - thanks to the inaccurate way in which the media decides to select and deliver messages to the entire world. And this inaccuracy is not entirely accidental.
Recently my friend, whose relative works at a very popular news channel, shared a sad fact. She said her relative told her that the channel had direct orders NOT to show any peaceful protests that were carried out to condemn the film made humiliating the Prophet. They were strictly ordered to show violence only throughout the day.
While this news hardly comes as a surprise, it does make me sad because of the considerable influence media has on the average citizen. The media is our eyes and ears to the world and what it shows us significantly alters the way we perceive, think, dream and act. In such a state of affairs, instead of wasting time on condemning the government for creating (or following) such heinous schemes and the media for obeying it, we all should go back and do what we can do to spread the truth in a balanced way.
While the internet too is not entirely un-moderated, we still enjoy freedom that can be used for the betterment of the society. So please, share what is true and what does good to others.
I have been wearing the headscarf since 2005 when I was 15. Later,
around in 2007, I learned more about the Islamic dress code for women
and realized that an abaya was an essential garment. But it wasn't until
2010 that I actually started wearing one. It took me three years to
prepare myself for I knew wearing an abaya is no easy task. Some of the
issues that I had resolve before following my religious ambitions
were...
1. I Will Have to Wear it EVERYWHERE!
Once a woman dons an abaya, she endorses it in totality. Hence, whenever
she steps out of her house, the abaya accompanies her. However, there
are times when a woman might be tempted to take off her abaya just
because of the glamor around her, such as in weddings and parties.
Bringing myself to the resolution of wearing an abaya everywhere,
including weddings and parties, was a tough decision but I think it was
worth the while Alhamdulillah.
2. Breaking the News - Anticipating Heart Attacks
My parents and relatives have significantly contributed to my life.
Hence, they have expectations from me in return. Since no girl in my
family is a hijabi, breaking the news to them that I will be wearing a
boring black abaya to weddings was an upheaval task. I was apprehensive
that they would reject my plan outright or make negative remarks.
But fortunately, my mother supported me. Even though she doesn't wear an
abaya herself, she thinks that I have made the right decision. As for
my father, having lived in the Middle East for around three decades, he
is culturally attuned to the outfit and the only problem he has is the
'plainness' of my abayas.
3. Carrying it in the Professional World
I also wondered how my abaya will affect my profession. I believed that
my impression before my college professors, interviewers, colleagues at
my workplace would be radically altered because of my abaya. And this
was yet another challenge that I had to prepare myself for.
4. The Heat
During summers Karachi can get really hot and that's when men
loosen their ties and undo their buttons while women resort to wearing
lighter fabrics. But if one is in an abaya, there isn't much choice. You
can't wear a fabric as light as 'lawn', you can't take your headscarf
off or do things that let air touch your skin. Although, most of the
places I go to on a routine basis have airconditioning, there are times
when I do feel terribly hot and I knew this would happen before donning
the abaya. And it was another hurdle that I had to brace myself for.
5. My Personal Commitment versus My Temptations
Being a woman, I have never been too fashion forward, but I haven't been
behind the times either. Like other women, I know the therapeutic
effect of dressing up. Just by wearing a certain color can entirely
change one's mood. And the joy of wearing new clothes to college or
wearing a certain outfit that you know is going to turn heads can be an
uplifting experience. Committing yourself to an abaya means saying
good-bye to fashion in public. It means that you have to shift to a
completely different alternative universe when it comes to dressing.
This has the potential to create a desperate desire in a hijabi woman to
wear what non-hijabis do in the public, to feel joy of people praising
them for their styling sense and beauty. And many actually give in to
this temptation by unraveling themselves at weddings and other events
they consider 'important'. This was the part that I had to mentally
prepare myself for most before donning an abaya.
For a long time, I had been gathering courage and faith to execute what I
had been wanting to do for so long. But it was a video I watched that
finally pushed me to practice what I preached to myself.
It was an interview of Shabina Begum. Shabina is citizen of UK who
sacrificed two years of her education fighting for her right to wear an
abaya at school. She thought it was more important to practice her
religion than anything else. MashaAllah, her family supporter her in her
cause and she fought a legal battle with her school for letting her
wear an abaya. Watching this video, I thought - there is a Muslimah, in a
non-Muslim country, sacrificing so much just so that she can practice
Islam. While here I am, with these minor challenges not doing what I
should have right when I reached puberty.
Hence, finally in March 2010, at the age of 20 I started wearing an
abaya to every place I went. It has been a very fulfilling journey since
then alhamdulillah.
