A Real “Burqavaganza” – The Little Play that Once Could

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Recently in Pakistan, a play called “Burqavaganza” was banned. It was a satirical play in which the burqa was used as a symbol for insecurity, secrecy and fear. It offered a critique of the increasing extremist culture that is sweeping Pakistan like a wildfire. The play was banned by the Pakistani government after complaints from a religious-political group of women who wear and support the burqa and whose interests are to promote religiousity within women and culture, of which the role and dress of women is highly regulated. I did not see the play, only the clips online, but it did look like something I would want to watch. As a feminist Muslim Pakistani living in the west, I was highly intrigued with this issue. As a Canadian who has the privilege to publish articles and have my voice heard in a space which allows for respectful, progressive and open-minded dialogue, I decided it was important that I write this short piece.

As someone who has long supported the arts and as a fan of live theatre, which has for hundreds of years often been used as a tool to educate the masses, I am disappointed at the censorship and the overall push to hide and erase creativity and the arts within Pakistan. As a professor of human development, I discuss in my classes the importance of artistic, social, and physical stimulation of children for successful brain development. I do think that the Muslim world is damaging the optimal health of future generations with the recent wave of banning of the arts, sports and culture. With regards to this play, it is indeed a platform in which the current Pakistani liberalist vs traditionalist debate has been played out. It was and is a tremendous opportunity for dialogue, awareness raising and critique, perhaps one that we missed with the banning of the play without further opportunity for greater discussion.

As one who is Canadian and Pakistani, it is interesting to me, that in Quebec, Canada and some European countries, the niqab and burqa are becoming banned and in Pakistan any form of critique of the niqab or burqa is becoming banned. The governments of both the east and west, governments largely made up by men I might add, are censoring that which they see as a grave threat to society and tradition as they know it. More precisely, it is a preservation of what they understand as the role and "look" of women in maintaining that tradition. We do not seem to debate with the same level of passion the dress of men, babies or the elderly in any where near the way we do about women. Women symbolize and are the keepers and reflectors of that culture dictated, mostly, by men. Women and culture are forever in history two concepts so intricately intertwined and so incredibly difficult to separate.

 
With that said, I must confess that when I did see a clip online and read about the veiled woman who pushed for the ban, I was absolutely delighted to see a Muslim woman who wears the burqa and yet appeared informed, socially engaged and well spoken (relative to others in her community). This is a contradiction for many in the west. Having travelled the world, both east and west working with all kinds of women, I have seen, met and known women who are tremendously strong from all cultures, religions and appearances. I fully believe that whether she wears hijabs, niqabs, burkas, veils, bikinis, miniskirts, or all of them, or some of them, each woman is fully capable of being confident, educated and in control of her own life. Where I think we have gone wrong is with the judgments, both moral and social, we place on women’s appearances and prescriptions of dress.
As I have stated before, I do not support the banning of the burqas & niqabs and nor do I support the banning of the miniskirts & bikinis. I support a diverse society in which women have “true choice”, meaning without fear of social, familial, emotional, financial, or any type of consequence. Until we get there, I support a society in which we can examine what leads women to make certain ‘choices’ over others. The very debate over the banning of the burqa and now, the banning of the thought of the banning of the burqa, tells me that we have a long way to go. Unfortunately, I feel that too many of us are unconsciously immersed in societal norms and expectations and fall prey to many of these patriarchal standards. I support a society in which various schools of thought can present their views in creative ways and in which individuals can respectfully and happily dialogue, learn and share. I think here in Canada we have an opportunity to model this approach for the world.
So bringing this issue back to those who are Canadians of Pakistani origins, it is important to note that not all Pakistanis are Muslims, nor the same type of Muslim. It is important to understand that here there will be various forms of dress and instead of finding them weird and funny, it would be each person’s responsibility to learn about those forms of dress. We also have to understand that in a diverse society, there will also be diversity within diversity. This means that there will be different kinds of Muslims with various interpretations, ideas, experiences, education levels, classes, beliefs, practices, heritages, traditions and cultures. There will be some Muslim women who may have never worn the hijab/niqab/burqa or even thought about it,some who wore it as long as they remember, some only in their teens, some used to wear, some will wear it one day, some are in favour of hijab but not niqab, some are against all of it, some do not care, and so on. It is not for any one else, Muslim or not, to judge, dictate, assume, prescribe or predict what is "correct" for any particular woman. Each woman is and should be fully capable of making her own decisions and also to seek reliable information to help her inform her choices.
 
 

"With all this wonderful diversity of what to wear on my head…the hijab, the niqab, the burqa, along with other prescriptions on women’s headdress such as the dupatta, the bindi, the bridal juumar, and even the brimmed hat and on and on….I have been thinking that personally, when I have a choice, I would much rather wear the crown."
Quote from Tahmena Bokhari

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3 Comments

  1. Well done. No matter which extremist viewpoint one may be leaning towards pro burqa or pro ban, this article makes you rethink. I also love the author’s personal quote, makes me giggle, puts it into perspective and her choice of headgear is fabulous.

  2. Just love her explanation as usual. Why are banning things? We should look at reality to figure out why this is happening in the first place instead of unnaturally banning it. And I do wonder that when women are brought up with that true choice, which the woman who was pro banning th play was clearly not, but women here who dcomment_ID not grow up with burqa being the norm, would they seriously start wearing it regularly? I can understand some may choose hijab, I just cannot understand choosing burqa.

  3. She has much more inner peace than I do and I am inspired. I am not a fan of any religion and cannot understand why women have killed themselves in the name of religion. But I am inspired by the author’s openness to why some people need to have their religious beliefs, and probably for them it is better that they do. I agree in a diverse society there will be all kinds and that is what you sign up for when you move to Canada, like it or not.

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