Pakistan: Girl Attacked by Mob for Wearing Arabic Script Dress
A Pakistani girl was attacked by a mob of angry people over the confusion for wearing a dress printed with Quranic verses in the province of Punjab of Lahore on 25th February 2024.
A regular day turned into a living nightmare for a 17 year old Pakistani girl. The girl was roaming the local garments market (Ichhra Bazaar) of the province of Punjab of Lahore wearing a dress decorated with Arabic calligraphy script on 25th February 2024. When the girl entered a shop a customer objected to her dress, claiming that it was bearing Quranic verses. More people started gathering there and surrounded the girl. The angry mob accused the girl of blasphemy (writing or speaking about God in a way that shows a lack of respect) and demanded the shopkeeper to hand over the girl to them. The shopkeeper sheltered her in the shop & informed the angry mob that it was just an Arabic calligraphy print and the girl had not insulted the religion of Islam or the holy Quran. The videos of the same have gone viral on social media. In one of the videos a man can be heard demanding her to remove the garment or else it would be forcefully removed. Meanwhile, another shopkeeper informed the police, who rushed to the spot. A viral video shows the girl shivering with fear and crying inside the shop. The Lahore police led by ASP Shehr Bano reached there. She entered the shop along with other policemen to rescue the girl. ASP Shehr Bano tried to persuade the mob that the girl had not committed blasphemy. She addressed the mob & said that the meaning of one of the words ‘Halwa’ written in Arabic calligraphy on the girl’s dress means “sweet” and are not Quranic verses. She then helped the shivering girl who was now wearing a burqa and had her face covered with a scarf to the police car and took her to the police station for questioning. The video of the same has also gone viral on social media. Later, religious scholars confirmed that the text on her dress was not verses from the Quran, but rather Arabic calligraphy. The scholars also recorded a video presenting their findings and stating that the woman was innocent. Still the woman gave a public apology, stating, “I didn’t have any such intention, it happened by mistake. Still, I apologize for all that happened, and I’ll make sure it never happens again.” She added that she is a devout Muslim woman, and would never intentionally commit blasphemy. In Pakistan, blasphemy is a serious crime that is punishable by death. Pakistani celebrities have called ASP Shehr Bano a real hero for saving the girl and leading her to a safe place under her protection. The Lahore police has nominated Shehr Bano for the Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal - the highest gallantry award for law enforcement in Pakistan.
