“You can’t understand Punjabi?!” Rishma* said, mouth open in a grin stuck on pause that evolved into rolling laughter of disbelief. “No,” I smiled, clenching my fists that lulled by my sides to prevent them from instinctively floating up and punching her in the jaw.
Art by the ‘Pakistani Martha Stewart’
So much reading material is available on the formation of Pakistan that it’s hard for someone as clueless as me to decipher what’s true anymore. But there is one tale that seems quite indisputable – that for almost 1000 years different religious groups co-existed here in harmony, as a family, embracing one another’s traditions.
A perception of South Asian women has lingered
That they are inherently submissive, naive, hidden from the world behind dupattas and burkas
But I look to the women of my bloodline who arrived before me
Audacious, uncompromising, unbearable to the men who don’t want to hear them
Bold looks, big dreams, words armed with wit
It’s dangerous
Some will try and bring you down to earth where they want you to belong
But you are flying, dazzling, undefeated
Your mother brought you and my mother to a cold strange land for a better life
And as your necklace rests on my chest I remember
To never compromise, to never bow my head in submission, to be free
As we laid you to rest, the birds were flying above
And I just knew
You were flying with them
Zubaida and the children left their home to discover a new religious refuge
Her husband would catch up with her later, he had to do what men do
My Father was a hipster
His Father was a prisoner of war
Both of my Grandmothers believed in God
In memory of Fauzia Ahmed, 1959 – 2017
A perception of South Asian women has lingered
That they are inherently submissive, naive, hidden from the world behind dupattas and burkas
But I look to the women of my bloodline who arrived before me
As emotions continue to run high following the atrocious attacks in Paris last week the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo went on sale in the UK, with customers queuing overnight to get their hands on the Survivors issue. As I’m sure you’ve all seen the front cover maintained their brazen stance, with a cartoon of their depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, who is in tears, holding the slogan ‘Je suis Charlie’ (I am Charlie) alongside the headline ‘Tout Est Pardonne’ (‘All Is Forgiven’) – regardless of the diverse reactions, it’s a potent message.
The only thing I could be sure about in this situation was that the death of artists is heartbreaking and rage inducing. I’ve heard people of a similar descent as me comment that ‘they weren’t innocent …’
