
According to a report in 2024 by Human Rights Watch:
“Violence against women and girls—including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, denial of education, sexual harassment at work, and child and forced marriage—is a serious problem throughout Pakistan. Human rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in so-called 'honor killings' every year.”
Pakistan is among many other countries that are notorious for being against basic human rights for women. But why is this the case? We don’t have to look too far to identify the root of this mentality. The state of mind that creates a dark, sinister world for women and for the vulnerable in a country like Pakistan is not hiding itself from us. It’s quite clear and openly stated. There is a weapon that scholars call “religion,” and they use this weapon to convince the masses that God is calling for extremist and authoritarian ideas. Ideas that suppress and oppress. A state of mind that can ensure that society is frightened of thinking for itself. Religion in Pakistan and countries like Pakistan is given the blanket term of “Islam.” However, where this “Islam” comes from, and which of its teachings are truly authentic and from the source of God Himself, remains unanswered.
What constitutes being a “good Muslim”? The answer to that question really depends on which part of the world you are from. Mainstream religion and culture have become irrevocably intertwined. So what if you were a woman in Pakistan, and you identify as Muslim? What is expected from you?
As a woman who grew up there, I can vouch for the fact that being a good Muslim woman equals doing what you are told by men. The entirety of religion as a Muslim woman in Pakistan is centered around this odd jurisprudential law. Not only that, but the religiosity of a woman in a country like Pakistan has a great deal to do with her modesty and how well she knows her “place” on the social ladder.
Does she cover herself? How well does she cover herself? Is she silent when told to be silent, obedient when given commands?
It’s clear that this mindset and these supposedly righteous, moral, and religious ideas are not aligning with a modern-day understanding regarding gender equality. While the believers in the Riser Aba Al-Sadiq are steadfast in our commitment to good family values and the rights and duties of men and women toward each other, we also hold that cooperation between individuals of all kinds in society is the only way to prosperity and being true believers. We uphold the saying of Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan: “There is no difference between a believing man and a believing woman, except by piety.” Faith is the only determining factor of a person’s rank with God. Gender is decidedly not.
An Interesting Debate
We here at AROPL Studios often find ourselves in debates with people of different schools of thought. One of the interesting incidents that we experienced was the debate that was held between ourselves and the scholar Hassan Allahyari. Known for his heated debates in Pakistan’s national language, Urdu, with scholars of the Sunni Muslim sect, Hassan Allahyari has gained a reputation in the Twelver Shia world.
We decided to take on the challenge of the debate and set it clearly that the topic would be “How do we identify the Mahdi in the age of his appearance?” We had clarified that this debate would be broadcast on our satellite channel, live, which broadcasts to the continents of Africa and Europe. Simultaneously, it was being broadcast on Neo News, a news channel in Pakistan that owns the most widely read Urdu newspaper in the country, Jang.
We had been informed by a moderator and representative of Allahyari that the debate could take place on a certain day. We were given the time it would be held.
This was a significant moment for myself, as being a believer in the Riser Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, I have had the privilege and the honor of learning from him. It is with that knowledge that we acquire from him that we go out into the world and discuss religion with other schools of thought, eager for dialogue and finding common ground. We also are open to any challenges of debates that come our way and have engaged in debates with several scholars on multiple occasions.
Having ensured that everything was prepared and in check for our pre-planned debate, I braced myself for the conversation. What ensued was far from what had been promised. The first thing that seemed to stun the room at my entry was the mere fact that I am a woman. The conversation then began...
Moderator 1: Ok, there is some lady sitting here, but she’s not wearing a hijab. Please tell Allahyari that she is here, Mr. Qalandar, but she’s not covering her hair.
Moderator 2: Mr. Sheikh, they are saying there’s a woman here, but she’s not wearing a hijab. Shall we accept her, or shall we not allow her in?
Allahyari: Yeah, let’s just take her. Doesn’t matter. I won’t look at the screen. Go on, then. Where is she?
Moderator 2: There’s some Ahmadi UK network. I think they are Ahmadi.
Me: Yes, peace be upon you. Can you hear my voice?
Moderator 2: Yes. Can you cover your face? Can you cover your head?
Allahyari: No, leave her. They say they have an Imam. Does she know Urdu?! We won’t give them any of our time! Their Imam—tell their Imam to read the Quran, a page of the Quran.
Me: Peace be upon you, Mr. Hassan Allahyari. How are you?
Allahyari: If he comes to me, he has to read a page of the Quran. He says he is Imam Mahdi. He says he is the Imam Mahdi. Hahaha. A fraud of the first degree.
Me: Yes, first I have to confirm—are you referring to myself?
Allahyari: He doesn’t even know how to read the Quran. Why would we give him time?
Moderator 2: Yes, we are referring to you.
Allahyari: We are saying you have an Imam, so don’t send these wenches to us. I’m not speaking to a wench.
Me: Peace be upon you, brother. How are you?
Allahyari: I’m not speaking to a girl. Tell your Imam to come. We will respect him; we want to hear him and see if he can read the Quran. Is your Imam there? Is that so wrong?
Me: Yes, and we are willing to hear your side as well.
Allahyari: Can he even read the Quran? Surely the successor of the Messenger of Allah can read the Quran, can’t he?
Me: If you could give me a bit of an opportunity so I can get a word in, please.
Moderator 2: Yes, sure, bring him on the camera.
Me: Or will it be the case that you will keep speaking over me?
Allahyari: Yes, if their Imam is present…I know their Imam—I mean, that’s why he’s sending girls here, right? Send another man here; I will speak to another representative. And if their Imam is present, we all want to speak with their Imam.
Me: Mr. Hassan Allahyari, let’s not be misogynistic.
Allahyari: We will ask him a few questions. First, we will have him read the Quran to us.
Me: Let’s not be sexist, brother. If you want to speak, then let’s speak. You say you are a scholar and an aalim; you say that you are here to guide the people. If you see me as misguided, then guide me, please.
Moderator 2: Child, let him come to the camera, and I will give him the chance to talk.
Allahyari: Ok, ok, fine. He doesn’t know how to read the Quran by memory? Let him read it from the book, then.
Moderator 2: We will hold and wait for you.
Allahyari: Yes, isn’t that right? Isn’t it?
Moderator 2: Bring your Imam to the camera.
Allahyari: Tell him to come. If he doesn’t have time, we will wait—a week, a month, two months. If he wants to sit there and not answer our questions, anyone can do that. An Imam has to read the Quran and answer questions. If she knows, and she knows Urdu, then tell her to tell her Imam that Allahyari is waiting for you…hahaha…you come, and Allahyari will respect you, and we will only speak to him. If you have an Imam, we will only speak with him. If you don’t have an Imam, and he has died, then that’s that, then. While the Imam is with them, tell him to come himself. Tell them to send their leader.
Mr. Allahyari was clearly exhibiting disdain towards the fact that I had come to debate him. He had no desire to speak to me, attesting that it was because I was a woman. At their request, I decided to comply and cover my hair, as it’s of no consequence to myself, and the principle of our faith is a worthier conversation to have. A wardrobe choice should not be the obstacle to that.
Regardless of my compliance to then wear a headscarf, the scholar rejected my request to continue our pre-planned debate. He spoke underminingly. He was clearly offensive, talking over my words, and even ignored my request that, if he refused to debate, could he at the very least try to guide me to the truth.
And ultimately, out of clear fear of debating with a disciple of the Qaim Aba Al-Sadiq, he covered his panic in the veil of misogyny and ran away.
As shameful as his behavior was, Allahyari’s actions are not surprising. They are a clear indication of a corrupted Islam—an obvious show of misogyny, sugar-coated by so-called “religious morality.” The problem we are finding here is not the disease—rather, it is a symptom. It is quite clearly a chauvinistic, misogynistic view of women, and a symptomatic result of centuries of scholars that usurped the throne of men sent by God. It is a society that is ruled by Pharisees and rabbis—not by Jesus Christ, who excused the adulteress and instead pointed his finger at the fallible scholar who was audacious enough to think he could place a judgment. It is a society run by Abu Bakr and Omar, one where slave girls were beaten with batons until they were forced into exposing their chests, seen as sub-human and without the right to cover. Not the society of Mohammed, who stood for the rights of women from all classes of society to cover their chests, and upheld humane teachings, forcing men of the era to no longer consider them inferior creatures, but rather companions and partners.
This is the society of the coward Yazid, the son of Muawiya, who commanded his soldiers to rip the veils off the women of the household of Mohammed, and had them set fire to the little daughter of the martyred Imam Husain. This is not the society of Husain, whose sister and mother were both renowned for never bowing their heads to the tyrant and were known for their courage in the face of all adversity, and their immortal sermons delivered in public arenas against men who sought to humiliate them, yet they never buckled.
In today’s society, religion, morality, and righteousness are all received by the people from that usual suspect—the non-working scholars and the likes of Allahyari. Scholars who decide what is good or bad. What we must think, and how we must be. Yet they do so with no authority from God, while stealing the right to rule from the man appointed by God—the Qaim Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq.
Is it a wonder that societies ruled by scholars of mainstream institutions of religion are so backward and immoral?
In the society of the Qaim Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, women are free. Free to live with honor and dignity. Free to oppose inauthentic religion. Religion that tells them, cover your hair, even if the Quran doesn’t tell you to. Women in this society are able to challenge themselves to be what they were created to be—the best of daughters, the best of wives, of mothers and sisters, and the best of supporters, who live life with every opportunity a man can have. And with dignity granted to us, and safety of honor, reputation, and status, we are achieving so much more than we ever could have without our Imam. A state will be built by our hands, and the children we birth will see the fruit of our sacrifice and our work, as they live in a world where nobody can tell them they are inferior or worthy of abuse. Our sons and our daughters will live in the world created for them by the Riser Aba Al-Sadiq. A paradise, on earth as it is in heaven.
And as for Allahyari, it is unfortunate he behaved this way. History will write of what we do, and he will be remembered as the so-called scholar who could not bring himself to speak to a female disciple of the Qaim. He will be written as someone who was worse than the tyrants Abu Bakr and Yazid, who, even though they also usurped the throne of God, at least allowed Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Mohammed, and Zainab, his granddaughter, a platform to speak on.
Allahyari had the opportunity to debate with us. Our doors are still open, and he and all scholars are invited to engage in dialogue with us—regardless of gender.
Regarding the usage of the terms "gender" and "sex" in anything, I would rather use the Eldsay-style term "folkhalf" for the latter term, for various reasons that should be made clear upon reading at least the first chapter of the plotloric treatise How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World by the Epoch Times.
(In Chinese for anyone curious: https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/18/6/7/n10464261.htm)
The Society of Classical Poets (ClassicalPoets.org) used to have the following basic definition of Communism at their website, as follows:
"Communism, including its first phase (socialism), is an ideology based on destroying harmony among social classes and eliminating traditional beliefs and moral values."
Personally, I would change it as follows: "Communism, including its first phase (which Karl Marx called…
This was an amazing read, highlighting the realities of women in these societies. Islam brought by The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuhafs) liberated the women and girls. It's a shame that they have taken this back to pre-islamic states
سطحية و عنصرية لماذا يتكبر هذا المتحدث بهذا الأسلوب دليل علي خوفه و يحاول أن يثبت أنه يعرف ما يريد الله أو ما هو الفرض و ايضا يفرضه علي شخص مؤمن بشيء مختلف عما هو مؤمن به لمجرد شيء سطحي و ايضا هو لم يختر أن يولد في جسم ذكر او جسم انثى لما اذا يضع معيار الأفضلية علي شيء اصلا ليس من اختياره لذلك هم فعلا ضالين مضلين لأنهم استقبلوا ما يدعون أنه علم و أنه الحقيقة و قد تم خداعهم باستخدام المناظر و أصبحوا بلا وعي ينشرون سمهم الفكري و يسيئون لما يتدعون أنه اسلام و هذا يكشف فعلا للناس أن الإسلام سيصبح غريب هذا نتيجة مناهج و مؤسسات التعليم التي تدعي أنها دينية و هم فقط محتكرين…
Wow amazing . AAP nay aurat Kay maqaam ko RasoolAllah aur Ahlulbait a.s ki taleemaat Kay mutabik paish kiya hay. Laikin budqismati in muslimanon ki k inno nay RasoolAllah ki talemaat aur Shariyat ko pamaal ker diya hay. Aaj kal Kay Ulmah nay islaam ko corrupt ker diya he. Aurat Kay maqaam ko pamaal ker diya he…..