New Delhi: A Pakistani show starring model and actor Nimra Khan is set to bring the hijab into focus. The new Geo Entertainment show, Umm-e-Ayesha, directed by Saleem Ghanchi, will explore the struggle of a hijab-wearing woman in society. On the one hand, the protagonist’s decision to wear the hijab is commended by everyone, but when she goes out to look for a job it backfires. She struggles to get a job despite building an impressive CV.
Khan’s character in the show is someone who, from a young age, has been urged to cover her head. However, it is through her own inclination towards understanding Islam better that she makes a conscious choice to wear the hijab, read a report in Dawn.
This personal choice becomes a hindrance to her professional life as her getting a job is contingent on her removing the hijab. She even has trouble finding a groom.
Also Read: Pakistani nuclear physicist Parvez Hoodboy called hijab abnormal. And made women angry
Hijab or no-Hijab
In the corporate world, there’s an immediate ‘othering’ of women wearing hijabs. They face heightened scrutiny and there are professional consequences as well, according to a report in The Globe and Mail. But that a woman in a Muslim-majority country like Pakistan would be subject to similar prejudice has surprised people.
In an exclusive interview with Dawn, Nimra said that her character is from a middle-class family. As a girl, she was repeatedly told by her mother to cover her head. “However, as she reads more about Islam she chooses to don the hijab because she believes it is better than covering oneself with a dupatta,” Khan said.
It’s yet to be seen whether the show will also look at how the hijab is viewed by women in Pakistan, as it can be a polarising issue.
“Pakistani society largely views hijabi women with the same disdain as Indian society…” said one user on Reddit. In 2022, Pakistan’s former minister for religious affairs opposed the Aurat March, and demanded that 8 March (International Women’s Day) be called Hijab Day. In response, thousands of women took to the streets to hold protest marches, but it also sparked marches by women in veils supporting the minister’s idea.
It’s worth noting that Khan herself does not wear the hijab.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)