Hamza Ali Abbasi is an enigma. Or we like to think so.
He turned down a post by PTI because he had contradicted his ideology. He publicly apologized about being a part of a venture that did not represent the true culture of Pakistan. One stops and thinks, this takes guts to apologize! He has also been very vocal for some humanitarian causes and one starts to believe, this guy right here is the model Pakistani , and the much needed 'liberal muslim' we had all been looking for. But before we jump on the bandwagon of blind adoration. Lets get real.
Out of the number of issues he has spoken against. I would highlight only one. He spoke against the item songs in Pakistani movies because they don't represent our culture. His attitude towards his female co-stars was demeaning and reeked of religious self righteousness. Now wait a minute. How are these 'item songs' not part of our culture? Agreed the term 'item' songs is borrowed from across the border, the concept itself is not. Haven't these songs always been a part of Pakistani movies in one form or another? Film industry since its origin has evolved greatly but back in their infancy period, Bollywood and Lollywood were more similar than different. It was not a question of who cheated whom? It was the consequence of a common culture that the two countries shared. Note 'Culture'. Something which is not static. A set of traditions, that is dynamic and ever evolving. Religion has its influence but culture is separate from religion, because it is more diverse. Entertainment is a part of culture, not religion. And Entertainment is something you can not judge or restrict by the yardstick of religion because if religion were to decide things, there would be no existence of the entertainment industry in the first place.
This is because Entertainment and religion aren't synonymous. They are actually, polar opposites of each other. Take note:
-Music is haraam in islam. The musical instruments are the instruments of devil and the people who listen to them, let alone participate, will have molten glass poured into their ears. Hamza has been a part of songs, he has danced in them. Now if he chooses to dance with a woman in a full blouse and refuses to do a song with one who has her navel exposed , it reflects his own level of comfort and his own personal ideas of modesty. It does not make him the patron saint of cultural and religious appropriateness. Because THAT he has left far behind. When he chose to be be a tv actor, working with females, which is itself a fundamental sin in islam.
-It is not right to talk to a non mehram female. This guy, this custodian of all things good has made his job out of it. He delivers dialogue pitched with romance, desire and affection to women he is not related with.
-It is not right in islam to take a second look at a woman. He has made a career out of it, his job is to act with women and play the role of their on-screen lovers.
- It is not right in islam to touch a non - mehram female. He has held hands and been close to women on screen. He continues to do all this. But he doesn't hesitate from 'coming clean', where it becomes convenient, and where the weight of blame is shifted effortlessly to the shoulders of other people.
-The 'satar' of a man includes the portion of his body from his navel to his knees. Hamza is not abiding by the satar in the infamous scene in trailer of JPNA that he disowned because of the 'women in bikini'. Remember, the point of his apology was that there were women wearing bikini. It was not that he was not covered properly himself. It never was an issue for him, in fact I don't think he ever thought about that, or anyone even reminded him of that. Isn't it ironical how a fault of man is actually the fault of woman? It's a visceral reflex of the whole nation. Stories have to end with 'active' participation of women and only passive reaction of men, who if regret, regret 'being there' with the wrong women. As always, It was easier to speak from a moral high ground of someone who just had this terrible misunderstanding about the whole song and had to ogle a bikini clad girl passing by as a professional requirement. (Though how could one be 'forced' to do that is beyond me).
-Music is haraam in islam. The musical instruments are the instruments of devil and the people who listen to them, let alone participate, will have molten glass poured into their ears. Hamza has been a part of songs, he has danced in them. Now if he chooses to dance with a woman in a full blouse and refuses to do a song with one who has her navel exposed , it reflects his own level of comfort and his own personal ideas of modesty. It does not make him the patron saint of cultural and religious appropriateness. Because THAT he has left far behind. When he chose to be be a tv actor, working with females, which is itself a fundamental sin in islam.
-It is not right to talk to a non mehram female. This guy, this custodian of all things good has made his job out of it. He delivers dialogue pitched with romance, desire and affection to women he is not related with.
-It is not right in islam to take a second look at a woman. He has made a career out of it, his job is to act with women and play the role of their on-screen lovers.
- It is not right in islam to touch a non - mehram female. He has held hands and been close to women on screen. He continues to do all this. But he doesn't hesitate from 'coming clean', where it becomes convenient, and where the weight of blame is shifted effortlessly to the shoulders of other people.
-The 'satar' of a man includes the portion of his body from his navel to his knees. Hamza is not abiding by the satar in the infamous scene in trailer of JPNA that he disowned because of the 'women in bikini'. Remember, the point of his apology was that there were women wearing bikini. It was not that he was not covered properly himself. It never was an issue for him, in fact I don't think he ever thought about that, or anyone even reminded him of that. Isn't it ironical how a fault of man is actually the fault of woman? It's a visceral reflex of the whole nation. Stories have to end with 'active' participation of women and only passive reaction of men, who if regret, regret 'being there' with the wrong women. As always, It was easier to speak from a moral high ground of someone who just had this terrible misunderstanding about the whole song and had to ogle a bikini clad girl passing by as a professional requirement. (Though how could one be 'forced' to do that is beyond me).
There is something wrong with a man who has this compulsive need to draw lines between good and bad,right and wrong all the time while contradicting himself and the very basics of the belief he uses to pass judgements on others.
Hamza Ali Abbasi. If you are really that big a proponent of religion-approved and culturally appropriate content, then let the charity begin at home. Shun the convenience of the middle way you have chosen. Adopt your own beliefs.
The only entertainment left for you that is 'appropriate' is to sing melodious naats, those too without a female in sight. And without the musical instruments of course! Unless you do that, your posts and opinions have about as much weight as complaints of a thief who was robbed.
The only entertainment left for you that is 'appropriate' is to sing melodious naats, those too without a female in sight. And without the musical instruments of course! Unless you do that, your posts and opinions have about as much weight as complaints of a thief who was robbed.
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