THIS is with reference to the report ‘Girl in Arabic print shirt saved from mob by Lahore police’ (Feb 26), which was about the recent disturbing incident in which a woman wearing an outfit with some Arabic words was besieged by a mob after she was accused of ‘blasphemy’ at a famous market- place. A video went viral on social media as well in which an agitated mob could be seen chanting to the effect that the punishment of blasphemy was nothing but beheading.

A woman police officer spoke to the wild mob, and amid blasphemy slogans, she rescued the woman and transferred her to a police station. It was seriously unfortunate that the victim along with two clerics was seen making an apology for a ‘sin’ she had not even thought of committing. She had to do this even though the clerics in the same clip conceded that there was nothing wrong in the dress. The police present there could not make the clerics understand that when, by their own account, nothing wrong had happened, there was no need at least for an apology.

It is alarming that we live in a society that has such illiterate and extremist elements. This raises many questions, about what needs to be fixed. Who is the best person, if anyone, in this situation to make the environment less suffocating?

There is a dire need to propagate the correct teachings of Islam. Such an obscurantist approach is turning the less educated into extremists, who often transform into a wild mob because of their lack of knowledge. Moreover, learning is not enough, as they actually need to unlearn the wrong stuff first.

I, being a woman, after watching such a disturbing episode would be afraid to wear an outfit even having Urdu script unless our extremist, ill-educated fellow citizens learn the difference between mere Arabic script and Quranic verses.

Lalarukh S.N.
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2024