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Get Your Facts Straight !

I have seen a majority here in the North-West Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province of Pakistan, my home province, confusing religion with culture. Does wearing "jeans" make you a kafir? I think "jeans" is a much thicker cloth than the traditional "shalwar kameez" of Pakistan and India. It does not reveal your figure or skin and one cannot see through it. Your traditional "shalwar" is revealing and should be termed as un-Islamic and not to mention the "churidar pajama" compared to the skinny jeans, should be totally banned if you consider yourself a muslim or a Pathan/Pashtoon.

Churidar Pajama (the allowed)
I was wearing jeans, of course with a traditional "chaadar", veil to cover myself from head to toe, and was supposed to go out for dinner with my family, when I was asked to change my dress. I refused to go to the dinner because there was no logic in changing my dress. Why? Was I not completely covered, respecting the culture and religion? I was told that people will still know it's jeans. Even if you're wearing skinny jeans, tell me how a "churidar pajama" is any better than that? Why are people fooling themselves with following man-made Islam thinking they will go to heaven?

Jeans (not allowed)
Sometimes I feel like I should give up on these people.

No wonder Allama Iqbal says:

"Mujhay fikr-e-jahan kyun ho?
Jahan tera hay, ya mera?"

 مجھے فکر جہاں کيوں ہو ، جہاں تيرا ہے يا ميرا؟

Why should I fret about the world?
The world is Thine, not mine.

اگر ہنگامہ ہائے شوق سے ہے لامکاں خالي
خطا کس کي ہے يا رب! لامکاں تيرا ہے يا ميرا؟

"Agar hangama-ha-e-shoq sey hay la-makaan khaali
Khata kis kee hay yaa Rub, la-makaan tera hay yaa mera?"

If Thy world is cold,
Devoid of the warmth of passion,
Whose fault is it, my Lord?
That world is Thine, not mine.

Comments

Glow said…
ahhh well i have come across such arguments and i am with you on this! the point is to cover.. BUT the thing is that we should bare this in mind that we are more culturally inclined than religiously and we confuse the two... so in order to respect the culture i go with the norm!
Unknown said…
Jeans is Islamic but not cultural.
Your point of its being Islamic here is established.
But it has nothing to do with Pushtun culture in which you live in...
The proverb Jaisa dais waisa bhais is worth mentioning here.
Western when come here to Pakistan they wear Pajamas and don't insist on Jeans. Same is the case when we go abroad its better to use western dress.