Shehzad Ghias who hosts the podcast 'The Pakistan Experience' recently invited Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Engr Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman and during the interview asked him about the hijab and whether there should be a law making the hijab compulsory.
While there is every need to uphold freedom of expression and to engage with others in a means of learning what other opinions there are and what they are rooted in, it does not mean one platform regressive, oppressive views on women's rights and that too from a male perspective shrouding itself under Islamic principles and even more so in a country such as Pakistan where varying sects have their own interpretations.
In modern day Pakistan to apply a belief whilst ignoring the plurality or the context of the modern day Pakistani woman beggars the question then why was such a guest asked a question about a specific item of clothing for one specific non-male gender? If this does not uphold the regressive attitude that men use religion to police women then what else is it?
What made matters worse is the limited discourse especially when other scholars such as Ghamidi were mentioned and dismissed as if their knowledge holds no value which again goes in favour of the guest's who for whom the platform become a PR stunt.
https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1625890947165716480
https://twitter.com/Jaferii/status/1625873517592936449
On Twitter, the host stated that enough research was not done on sensitive topics such as General Zia Ul Haq's role in promoting the Jamaat-e-Islami. All of these add fuel to a society that is polarised and hyper religious.
https://twitter.com/SaeedKh19909750/status/1625931071433867270
https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1625977939119448065
While there is every need to uphold freedom of expression and to engage with others in a means of learning what other opinions there are and what they are rooted in, it does not mean one platform regressive, oppressive views on women's rights and that too from a male perspective shrouding itself under Islamic principles and even more so in a country such as Pakistan where varying sects have their own interpretations.
In modern day Pakistan to apply a belief whilst ignoring the plurality or the context of the modern day Pakistani woman beggars the question then why was such a guest asked a question about a specific item of clothing for one specific non-male gender? If this does not uphold the regressive attitude that men use religion to police women then what else is it?
What made matters worse is the limited discourse especially when other scholars such as Ghamidi were mentioned and dismissed as if their knowledge holds no value which again goes in favour of the guest's who for whom the platform become a PR stunt.
https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1625890947165716480
https://twitter.com/Jaferii/status/1625873517592936449
On Twitter, the host stated that enough research was not done on sensitive topics such as General Zia Ul Haq's role in promoting the Jamaat-e-Islami. All of these add fuel to a society that is polarised and hyper religious.
https://twitter.com/SaeedKh19909750/status/1625931071433867270
https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1625977939119448065