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Secret side of Pakistan: Grinding on dance
floor in land of veiled women, bearded men
ISLAMABAD - Women in short skirts
and men with gelled hair bump and
grind on a dance floor as a disc jockey pumps up the volume. The air is thick with illicit smoke and shots of hard liquor are being passed around. Couples cuddle and kiss in a lounge.
This is not Saturday night at a club in New York, London or Paris. It is the secret side of Pakistan, a Muslim nation often described in the West as a land of bearded, Islamic hardmen and repressed, veiled women.
Pakistan was created out of Muslim-
majority areas in colonial India 65
years ago, and for decades portrayed
itself as a progressive Islamic nation.
Starting in the 1980s, however, it has
been drifting towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam
that has reshaped the political
landscape, fuelled militancy and
cowed champions of tolerance into
silence.
But the country remains home to a
large wealthy and Westernised elite
that, in private, lives very differently. Every weekend, fashion designers,
photographers, medical students and
businessmen gather at dozens of
parties in Islamabad, Karachi and
Lahore to push social boundaries in
discreet surroundings that would horrify, and enrage, advocates of the
stricter brand of Islam.
"This is just epic," said Numair
Shahzada, bobbing his head to the
beat at a party in a farmhouse outside
Islamabad as fitness instructors
moonlighting as bouncers looked on.
"The light and smoke show is phenomenal." Young men and women mix freely,
dancing, talking or drinking. Some curl
up together in quiet areas. Although alcohol is prohibited in the
country, many have brought their
own liquor. Whisky is carried in paper
bags and vodka is disguised in water
bottles arranged along the dance
floor.
The party-goers form only a tiny
minority of the country's 180 million
people, but overall, Pakistan is not
repressive. Women can drive, are
enrolled in universities and have
played prominent roles in politics. Unmarried men and women can
interact without risking the wrath of
religious police. People from its most populous
province, Punjab, are renowned for
their exuberance.
But a conservative form of Islam is
chipping away at the tolerance. A few hours drive from Islamabad's
party circuit, parts of remote tribal
regions have fallen under the sway of
hardline Taliban militants, who dream
of toppling the U.S.-backed
government and creating a society where revellers would face flogging,
or worse.
"Men and women who dance together
are damned by God. Whenever we see
such displays of vulgarity we will
definitely make them a target," said a
senior Taliban commander. News reports have said a tribal council
in a village near the Afghanistan
border ordered four women killed
earlier this year for clapping and
singing as men danced at a wedding.
The Supreme Court has ordered an investigation, but there have been no
further details.
Creeping conservatism
While the vast majority of Pakistanis
abhor the Taliban's violence, there are
many who share their belief that Islam
should be Pakistan's guiding force.
Religious parties, which do poorly at
the polls but exert considerable sway over public debate, believe Islam
should govern all spheres of life. "It's so messed up," said Myra, a 23-
year-old Pakistani who has dyed her
hair reddish-brown. "You see the servants and the drivers
at the parties watching you and you
wonder what kind of a person they
think you are."
To avoid prying eyes, the kind of
alcohol-fuelled blow-outs enjoyed by
Myra and her friends are held in lonely
farm-houses in the outskirts of
Islamabad and other cities, or in
affluent neighbourhoods behind high walls. Organisers charge on average a
$60 entry fee, an amount most
Pakistanis earn in a month. Rafia, petite with long, black hair and
wearing tight jeans and a low-cut
black blouse, is a regular on the party
scene.
She frowns on women who carry
secret cell phones unmonitored by
their parents and wear revealing
outfits under conservative dress that
come off before getting on the dance
floor. "You can either be God-fearing or you
can party," she said, taking a drag on
a marijuana joint at a recent rave. "I don't pray regularly and I usually
stick to my fast. But at the end of the
day, I don't say I am a very religious
person." Not everyone agrees. Bina Sultan, 40, an attractive fashion
designer, showcases nude paintings
and topless male models in shows. She
also wears a silver pendant engraved
with a verse from the Koran.
"People think I am shameless but I am
actually very religious," she said at her
studio, peppering her sentences with
"jaani", Urdu for darling, while chain
smoking. "My faith is very strong. But everything
I do is between my God and me."
Lonely liberals
Conservatism began sweeping
through Pakistan during the military
dictatorship of General Mohammad Zia
ul-Haq in the 1980s under a drive to
Islamize the state. Zia's policies are widely blamed for a
creeping culture of intolerance that
has further isolated liberals. In an incident that traumatised the
elite, the governor of Punjab province,
Salman Taseer, was assassinated by
his own bodyguard last year for
opposing harsh anti-blasphemy laws.
The reaction was almost more
shocking to liberals than the murder
itself. Clerics organised huge rallies to
praise the killer. Even lawyers, once at
the vanguard of Pakistan's democracy
movement, showered him with rose petals. In the growing climate of fear, the
space for liberal voices is shrinking. Pakistani rapper Adil Omar, who
attends weekend parties, pokes fun of the Taliban and rising conservatism in his songs. But he never goes too far.
"A lot of people seem to be torn and
seem to have an identity crisis," said
Omar, who wears the traditional
flowing shirt and baggy trousers. His elaborate forearm tatoo featuring a
semi-naked woman and a unicorn has drawn fire on his Facebook page from
some fans who see it as an offence to Islam. "I am careful not to give any opinions
regarding religion on the record," he said, adding: "I don't want some crazy person chopping off my head."
floor in land of veiled women, bearded men
ISLAMABAD - Women in short skirts
and men with gelled hair bump and
grind on a dance floor as a disc jockey pumps up the volume. The air is thick with illicit smoke and shots of hard liquor are being passed around. Couples cuddle and kiss in a lounge.
This is not Saturday night at a club in New York, London or Paris. It is the secret side of Pakistan, a Muslim nation often described in the West as a land of bearded, Islamic hardmen and repressed, veiled women.
Pakistan was created out of Muslim-
majority areas in colonial India 65
years ago, and for decades portrayed
itself as a progressive Islamic nation.
Starting in the 1980s, however, it has
been drifting towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam
that has reshaped the political
landscape, fuelled militancy and
cowed champions of tolerance into
silence.
But the country remains home to a
large wealthy and Westernised elite
that, in private, lives very differently. Every weekend, fashion designers,
photographers, medical students and
businessmen gather at dozens of
parties in Islamabad, Karachi and
Lahore to push social boundaries in
discreet surroundings that would horrify, and enrage, advocates of the
stricter brand of Islam.
"This is just epic," said Numair
Shahzada, bobbing his head to the
beat at a party in a farmhouse outside
Islamabad as fitness instructors
moonlighting as bouncers looked on.
"The light and smoke show is phenomenal." Young men and women mix freely,
dancing, talking or drinking. Some curl
up together in quiet areas. Although alcohol is prohibited in the
country, many have brought their
own liquor. Whisky is carried in paper
bags and vodka is disguised in water
bottles arranged along the dance
floor.
The party-goers form only a tiny
minority of the country's 180 million
people, but overall, Pakistan is not
repressive. Women can drive, are
enrolled in universities and have
played prominent roles in politics. Unmarried men and women can
interact without risking the wrath of
religious police. People from its most populous
province, Punjab, are renowned for
their exuberance.
But a conservative form of Islam is
chipping away at the tolerance. A few hours drive from Islamabad's
party circuit, parts of remote tribal
regions have fallen under the sway of
hardline Taliban militants, who dream
of toppling the U.S.-backed
government and creating a society where revellers would face flogging,
or worse.
"Men and women who dance together
are damned by God. Whenever we see
such displays of vulgarity we will
definitely make them a target," said a
senior Taliban commander. News reports have said a tribal council
in a village near the Afghanistan
border ordered four women killed
earlier this year for clapping and
singing as men danced at a wedding.
The Supreme Court has ordered an investigation, but there have been no
further details.
Creeping conservatism
While the vast majority of Pakistanis
abhor the Taliban's violence, there are
many who share their belief that Islam
should be Pakistan's guiding force.
Religious parties, which do poorly at
the polls but exert considerable sway over public debate, believe Islam
should govern all spheres of life. "It's so messed up," said Myra, a 23-
year-old Pakistani who has dyed her
hair reddish-brown. "You see the servants and the drivers
at the parties watching you and you
wonder what kind of a person they
think you are."
To avoid prying eyes, the kind of
alcohol-fuelled blow-outs enjoyed by
Myra and her friends are held in lonely
farm-houses in the outskirts of
Islamabad and other cities, or in
affluent neighbourhoods behind high walls. Organisers charge on average a
$60 entry fee, an amount most
Pakistanis earn in a month. Rafia, petite with long, black hair and
wearing tight jeans and a low-cut
black blouse, is a regular on the party
scene.
She frowns on women who carry
secret cell phones unmonitored by
their parents and wear revealing
outfits under conservative dress that
come off before getting on the dance
floor. "You can either be God-fearing or you
can party," she said, taking a drag on
a marijuana joint at a recent rave. "I don't pray regularly and I usually
stick to my fast. But at the end of the
day, I don't say I am a very religious
person." Not everyone agrees. Bina Sultan, 40, an attractive fashion
designer, showcases nude paintings
and topless male models in shows. She
also wears a silver pendant engraved
with a verse from the Koran.
"People think I am shameless but I am
actually very religious," she said at her
studio, peppering her sentences with
"jaani", Urdu for darling, while chain
smoking. "My faith is very strong. But everything
I do is between my God and me."
Lonely liberals
Conservatism began sweeping
through Pakistan during the military
dictatorship of General Mohammad Zia
ul-Haq in the 1980s under a drive to
Islamize the state. Zia's policies are widely blamed for a
creeping culture of intolerance that
has further isolated liberals. In an incident that traumatised the
elite, the governor of Punjab province,
Salman Taseer, was assassinated by
his own bodyguard last year for
opposing harsh anti-blasphemy laws.
The reaction was almost more
shocking to liberals than the murder
itself. Clerics organised huge rallies to
praise the killer. Even lawyers, once at
the vanguard of Pakistan's democracy
movement, showered him with rose petals. In the growing climate of fear, the
space for liberal voices is shrinking. Pakistani rapper Adil Omar, who
attends weekend parties, pokes fun of the Taliban and rising conservatism in his songs. But he never goes too far.
"A lot of people seem to be torn and
seem to have an identity crisis," said
Omar, who wears the traditional
flowing shirt and baggy trousers. His elaborate forearm tatoo featuring a
semi-naked woman and a unicorn has drawn fire on his Facebook page from
some fans who see it as an offence to Islam. "I am careful not to give any opinions
regarding religion on the record," he said, adding: "I don't want some crazy person chopping off my head."
