Tag: nudity

Ethical Marketing …..

Today while driving from my home to office in Karachi, I managed to take the route of NIPA to Hassan Square. On that track, there was a billboard to which my sight came across. I stopped my car on the side of the road and stood still in front of the billboard & kept looking at it for 5 minutes. The only thing my brain anticipated during these 5 minutes was “A BIT FOR CHANGE . . . “.

That billboard was delivering a very important message relating to a forgotten lesson which the religion Islam taught to the “MUSLIM” nation of the “ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN”, a lesson relating to the respect of women. That billboard was saying “Stop Promoting Nudity for Selling Your Fabric”. Then I managed to take a picture of that billboard.

As the summer season has just arrived, the female lawn designers have placed the advertisement on the billboards promoting their products through female and that too without considering the Islamic limits of ethics. The question arises that why does the marketing is portraying a woman as an object? Is there no other way of promoting the fabric without a female model? Will their sales revenue decrease if they only promote the designs without a woman on the billboards?

Most of the people would appreciate this piece of work but some will be labeling it with the conservative mindset. It seems that we have not only snatched the HIJAB of the Muslim female of our society but has also placed them on the enormous billboards. I would like to mention the Quran versus, in which the Almighty Allah, the Creator of mankind and the universe says in Surah Al-Ahzaab, Verse #59:

‘O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (“Jalabib”) veils all over their bodies (screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way that is most convenient that they should be known (as such) and not molested: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.”:

It is the time that we must do the assessment of our society that are we following the orders Allah Almighty. This is the time to examine that are we in the limits of the ethics assigned to us by Allah Almighty or we have crossed them all. Islam is the only religion which talks about the female respect and honor They are like the clove of the unopened flowers as they are not pricked by anyone unless they blossom there hidden beauty our of them. In Abu Dawood, Book 32, Hadith # 4091 Ummul Muminin Hazrat Ayesha (Radhiallaahu Anhu) narrated

“May Allah have mercy on the early immigrant women. When the verse “That they should draw their veils over their bosoms” was revealed, they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from them.

The time has arrived that we should move towards a complete Islam rather then following the only versus which are favorable to us. We have to stop this evil or else may be our own next coming generation will be on these billboards. According to the book “Kenz Al-Omal, v. 13, p. 91 & 93” The Prophet (s) said,

“A caller will call out on the Day of Judgment, ‘lower your gaze until Fatima (Radhiallaahu Anhu) has passed.”

Keeping in mind the Islamic teaching & taking the Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaih Wasalam, his Ahl e Bayt & Sahabah Ikraam Rizwaanullahe Ajmaeen, we have to explore marketing techniques free from unethical means. Let us secure our Muslim society so that our females may breath again free from embarrassments. The time has come to represent the true image of Muslim not only by words but by conduct. Let us all join our hands to promote this Nobel cause and take another step to free our society from evil.

 

Evolution of our media

While flipping through the channels, I stared blankly at the TV screen as I sat there wondering how the media has evolved over the past few years. From just a single black and white channel to a vast variety to choose from, the media has done its part in not only entertaining us but also keeping us updated on what’s happening around the globe, but not without some repercussions.

Not so long ago, the women, allegedly the chief audience of the tube, were hooked on to the Indian soaps, so much so that they were adopting the Indian culture as their own, with use of Hindi language in their everyday conversation, mimicking their style of dressing, pouring thousands of their hard earned money on make up in their efforts to look more and more like the Tulsis, Parvatis and Kashishs of the Indian television industry.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, the Pakistani media thought it their duty to start making dramas that would revolve around the same plots as the Indian soaps, with the same exaggerated expressions and glamorous ambience, in hopes of attracting more viewers.

In the past, the plays echoed real life issues with the performers focusing solely on expressing the emotions that were required, not a show of amplified sentiments. Most of the current inclination of our entertainment industry as far as television is concerned is to provide the juiciest show they possibly can without worrying about its consequences.  From how I see it, it has become a race and media is trying its utmost to win it any way it can.

Lately, to my utter astonishment and horror, an astounding number of dramas are being filmed on topics that are not even close to reality.  The favourite theme of every channel nowadays is extramarital affair, prostitution and/or promiscuity. Gone are the days when the dramas that were made to view in the family hour, could be viewed with the family. This is contrary to the current trends of productions.

Why then do we worry about the youth not being as innocent as they were back in olden days? Are we not responsible for most of what has happened? As goes the saying, as you sow, so shall you reap!

I still think our duty as a citizen of the state is not finished. If we want a better Pakistan, a state which was founded on the ideology of Islam and named for its purity, we need to come forward and speak up for putting a stop to absurdities like immoral representation of our culture and blatant spread of debauchery by some of the private productions.