By Mandy Froelich / Truth Theory
In the United States and in Europe, people, for the most part, dress however they please. But, in more conservative countries, freedom of expression isn’t viewed so lightheartedly. In Pakistan, for instance, Islamic women are expected to abide by cultural norms and wear a burqa. Earlier this week, however, a Pakistani activist challenged gender stereotypes by sharing a photograph of her husband wearing the garment. The internet has since been set ablaze.
“This is my beautiful husband. Of course, you can’t see how beautiful he is because I make sure he keeps his beauty (read: identity) hidden as I am the only true haqdaar of it,” Héra Mannan Khan wrote on her Mewlyweds Instagram page. “Everything he is, all his achievements, dreams, all of his fkn life, he owes it to me.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv6jgPEnCiR/?utm_source=ig_embed
Khan added that she prefers her husband Waleed Ahmed Saeed Khan stay home. Despite this, she took him to dinner last night. She wrote that they ate steroid-free chicken because she doesn’t “want his fertility to be affected because his major purpose of existing is to give me children and make me a mother.”
“I Iove how he modestly hides himself while going out,” she added, “I wouldn’t want him to get molested.”
“I, on the other hand, can roam around and loiter on my own…in my tank top in my spaghetti strap top or even shirtless, because I am a woman,” Khan wrote. The activist added that she isn’t afraid of being assaulted by other women. “And even if they do, I will not talk about it because it will prove me weak and defenseless in front of the whole wide world. A woman is not supposed to be weak, you know, we were created to be strong and macho.”
In the post, Waleed boasted that she allows Waleed to go to work and drive. She added that once she ensures he remains pious, she will “get to sleep with 70 virgins in the afterlife.” Several hashtags were added, including #smashingpatriarchy and #endrapeculture.
The internet had a field day with the post. For the most part, the couple has received many encouraging comments.
I am not sure you know but the veil your husband is wearing is see through, it’s not really modest attire. Pls ensure he covers up properly before going outside !
— Sivananthi Senthe Thanenthiran (@SivananthiT) April 7, 2019
Two things you must never let him do, without supervision. Work and Drive. Do you know the kind of women he might encounter at work. You must guard against this, medal or no medal.
Oh and by the way, get him a black veil. This is too revealing, you don't want women seeing him— Voltaire (@il_Cavalier) April 7, 2019
I literally could see all his beautiful face… Imagine if I was a woman going agog over him
— David kinyua (@g_dkinyua67) April 8, 2019
Of course, hateful feedback was received, as well.
https://twitter.com/AsayKyun/status/1114554540571930624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1114554540571930624&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F456115-pakistan-instagram-burqa-man%2F
https://twitter.com/AsayKyun/status/1114637140510552064
https://twitter.com/AswadBinAzraq/status/1114619620709818368
To those who left hateful comments, Khan replied: “it ain’t my responsibility to teach you how satire works” and “people like you are exactly the problem. You are the reason I had to put up such a post in the first place.”\
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To all of you who understand what this means, to all of you supporting the cause, lots of love and hugs. May we all together become change catalysts, may we all learn to treat each other based on humanity.
— Hira Mannan (@Healsome_) April 7, 2019
And to those of you coming at me with senseless misogynistic bullshit:
A) it ain't my responsibility to teach you how satire works
B) people like you are exactly the problem. You are the reason I had to put up such a post in the first place.
Now fuck off, I don't owe you shit
— Hira Mannan (@Healsome_) April 7, 2019
Khan followed up with another post showing her husband holding her handbag. She wrote, “Men, you must show your wives as much love, tenderness, and respect as they do to you. Don’t be ashamed of that.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv9_Eb7HaEk/?utm_source=ig_embed
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