WHY SO EXTREME
Most of us have been following the story of ‘harassment’ of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s sister. The unfortunate incident took place a few days back when a doctor from Agha Khan University Hospital sent a friend request to Chinoy’s sister. Soon after, Sharmeen Obaid termed the friend’s request as harassment on twitter.
The doctor has breached the professional behavior with this act, he should not have done it considering the fact that he was a medical professional and had certain limits to abide by. A patient trusts a doctor considering they will be looked at from medical point of view alone and do not visit hospitals that too in emergency to accept casual advances from a professional. YET, how can one term a ‘friend’s request’ as harassment. I wonder why we are so extreme in our ideologies and then terminologies. The whole situation could be dealt on a lighter note as well. Sharmeen Obaid has been working on women’s issues from quite long and she clearly knows the real meaning of harassment.
In her recent tweet on the same matter, she has accepted that her earlier tweets were made in anger, and her selection of words might be inappropriate. Admitting that her outburst was all done in an angry state does not really make any difference now.
On a similar note, her latest documentary, Song of Lahore, that is being screened in the US, is about the criticism faced by a group of singers (belong to minority in Pakistan) for being affiliated with music. Is this the real picture of Pakistan? How come the Pop Industry is so flourished in Pakistan if nobody could have a career in music? So what is the point of showing a falsified picture of our beloved country on an international platform? I respect her vision, but extremism should not be the option. And if this were not extremism or use of your privileged position, perhaps think twice before taking an action next time.
