Islam
The myth of the hijabi woman’s agency
If you dig deep into the bedrock of this, it is clear. This agency is very limited. That is how patriarchy and religion have modernised themselves: by inventing the myth of the agency of women, especially veiled women. It has told them that they are making a choice, and have […]
How to beat your wife
(Published in SEDAA – Our Voices) If you want people to respect your religion, then accept that there are problematic verses in the Quran and reform them. Do not try to tell us that we are making a big deal. Let me reiterate, it’s not that these commands are not […]
PAKISTAN: WHITHER FREEDOMS AND WHITHER RIGHTS?
(Published in Sedaa – Our Voices) People in Pakistan and around the world have been thinking (read: hoping), that there has been a paradigm shift in the military’s policy and that now we would see more democratic decisions, extermination of Islamic extremists and more freedoms. This is clearly not the […]
Quetta blast: How dare you give precedence to a road over human lives?
(Published in The Nation) It is like you have so little regard for our intelligence that you think this rhetoric will still work. No, it won’t. We do not want you to rally us around with your hyper patriotic flag waving and your sponsoring of propaganda songs and movies. We […]
MUSLIMS: REFORM YOUR RELIGION
(Published in Sedaa – Our Voices) You cannot secretly revere the doctrine that promotes Jihad, endorses misogyny, homophobia and other singularly inhumane aspects and then say that it does not endorse these things. Accept it, reform it and join the rest of the world in the 21st century. Other religions have done […]
No CII, I do not want Sharia to dictate my rights
(Published in The Nation Pakistan) Muslims have this tendency of explaining to others that Islam provided rights to women in an era where they did not have those rights. I tend to disagree with that but that is a whole other debate. Let’s assume that they were provided with these […]
Pakistan and its terrorists
Keeping with the tradition in Pakistan, whereby each time after a terrorist attack, fingers are pointed at someone else, this time again blame was laid squarely at the door of others. The establishment’s favourite boogeyman is India and sure enough the news that the terrorists that shot to death almost […]
The Ahmadi Conundrum in Pakistan
(Published in The Huffington Post) Blasphemy is a crime in Pakistan, the punishment for which can be death. The law is a left over of the Indian Penal Code that the British had introduced, and which was later expanded upon by the military dictator Zia ul Haq. More often than not, […]
On Blasphemy in Pakistan
(Published in The Huffington Post) On January 4, 2011, the Governor of the Pakistani Province of Punjab was shot and killed by one of his own security guards, Mumtaz Qadri. The reason for this was Taseer’s defense of the proposed amendments in the Country’s blasphemy laws, as well as his support […]
Paris attacks: Moderate Muslims must do more than just condemn terrorism
(Published in The Nation Pakistan) Stop trying to do damage control and posting this one verse and stop expecting people to magically believe that Islam means peace, when the word’s literal meaning is “submission”. Groups like ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, etc are doing exactly that: submitting and making others […]
