The Story of Fatima

Interesting. Look up some of the articles penned by Kaneez Rehman @ chowk.

Unsentimental look at sex work. About time.

Very well written - nice to see some good stuff coming out of Chowk after all.

well nice article but one point i want to raise is that writer should have used characters name carefully...since the name Fatima and zainab and khadija they all are Holy names for muslims and for character name specialy in this kind of plot u should have use some other names....thast all i wnat to reply..

Just finished reading Sheela Jaywant`s, When Abu Died, published on the front page.
It is written in a simple, lucid yet impressive style with no grammatical errors.
It doesn`t take pot shots at religion, neither does it give its characters certain particular names for dramatic effect and sensationalise the issue. More importantly, it does not hold religion responsible for the tragedy that befalls its characters; rather they accept it as a stroke of fate. In doing so, they not only exhibit courage but also grace.
In life, we must always remember that there is a respectable, if not well paid option available.

The Bible has two Marys...once was the mother of Christ, the other purportedly ``loose``...Christians seem to be able to live with the complexity of it....

Saman,

With all due respect, a person should be able to expresses whatever they want with religion, as they do with other institutions. People do it in real life-why not prose?

correction:

``express``

Well written. An impressive plot, with an obvious but much ignored message (if I got it right) about the injustices perpetuated by the Almighty, “the most compassionate.”

So, Mubashir, are you referring to “A” type” or “C type quarters somewhere in G-6/1-3 behind WAPDA ground somewhere, where the actual ``business`` takes place in the story?

Despite Mullah Abdullah (killed a few years back) and now his sons’ poisonous sermons from Lal Masjid, the wagon stop in front of a Khokha (pan/cold drink shop) across the road from the mosque remains the busiest spot for prostitutes to pick clients. You may check with Intizar Abassi, the Khokha owner, for best time to sight prostitutes negotiating with clients. The Almighty seems not bothered by this “evil” business taking place right under the walls of the mosque as He perhaps is fully engrossed in the enthralling anti-Shia, anti-Mirzai, anti-Hindu, anti-Jew, anti-Christian, anti-everything messages being spewed from the pulpit. But then the Almighty is equally insensitive to the sufferings of humanity. Maybe, He is unable keep pace with the events of the fast moving world.

I like the names you have used for characters—there’s a message hidden there as well.

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Saminasha,
With all due respect, people on Chowk seem to derive sadistic pleasure by deriding their religion; I don`t see other people doing it as much as one particular sect. Maybe too much of opression/suppresion is at hand here.
I am all for freedom of expression but I am sure none of us would indulge in using the names of our family members in such a manner. The insinuation of using the names here is not lost. Those are the names of some very pious ladies and should be accorded the respect they deserve.
Regards.

mubahir
I feel a great deal of pain after reading the storey.
It is a fiction, yet it reflects thousands true stories.
Life is beautiful, yet it is so miserable for some.

qaide-e-hayat band-e-gham asal mein doonun aik hein
moat sey pehley aadmi gham sey najat paey kiyoon (ghalib)

Regards.

Samankhan,

I see it less as ``sadistic pleasure`` as making a set of more disturbing points. If a sex worker is named Khadija, Fatima or Aisha in Real Life, what are we to do? Can we live with those ironies, because they exist....I think that tends to get obscured in the outrage over surface ideas.

I am sure that there are women, even seemingly respectable, pious women named Aisha, Fatima or Khadija who if not sex work, are capable of questionable behavior towards their famillies and other people...if for example, in another story, Khadija was a character who manipulated her family in terrible ways, would it be acceptable?

Imho, any system is open for these kinds of questions.

it was a nice read. i used to live in isl, but currently residing in melb. just got bit nostalgic. i used to be in ICB. wow lovely years of my life.

i wont attest the resemblance of places, events or characters in the story to real life (ref: jayjay) - yet the plot was solid. a nice attempt to unwrap unjust societal practices in offcourse - the land of pure.

however the novelty of the subject is still questionable? another addition to ``manto in da house``!

i would agree, that its not a good idea to purposely use the names of religious figures - just to raise controversy (offcourse for getting more popularity)

final verdict: four stars

This is not liberalism. This is vomit of a skewed mind. And you mubashir have the traits of one who hasnt been born and bred legitimately. May you be damned in this world for desecrating something that has been respected for centuries and will be respected. Hope you realize that death might come to you before tonight, and then you`ll find have lost everything in hope of worthless praise from people like u.

...... i almost missed this ............ good!........ a dispassionate look at the reality ..... and thanks for a vivid tour of G/6 ...........

offayaz,

Since your post has proven YOU ARE, INDEED, GOD, can you make yourself useful by intervening in a few situations? I believe Dafor needs your infinite and all encompassing judgement, and the women of Iraq have not been able to leave their homes in fear of people who say they believe in you, and oh, theres that little matter of lying republicans in the white house who have plans, it is rumored, to invade Iran.

In all your certainty and accusation, I am sure that you`ll be able to handle these little contretemps, being the morally unassailable deity that you are. Leave the lit criticism to us lesser mortals and use your awesome power efficiously, please.