Reviving a Jinnah that was

Karachi
For a nation that has over the years virtually forgotten what religious or sectarian harmony feels like and is strongly averse to ideas such as women empowerment, reviving a personality like Jinnah who not only lived such values but hoped to build a nation on grounds of modern beliefs may seem to be an uphill task to many.
However, with an aim to not only relive Quaid-e-Azam’s modern values but also to initiate a debate over the events which led to the partition, Dr Humaira Aziz, a founding member of the Society for Advancement of Health, Education and Environment (SAHEE), organised a four-day screening of the 1998 biopic “Jinnah” in various cinemas across the city, and managed to show it to over 4,200 students of both public and private sectors, aged between 12 and 16.
The screenings were followed by a small but elaborate discussion over the struggle which culminated in the inception of Pakistan, with a panel comprising activists, journalists, writers and educationists besides other intellectuals.
Recalling the idea behind the event, she said that it was during a meeting organised by members of the civil society following several attacks on the Shia community that she realised that the gathering may not have agreed religiously but wished to bring the masses together through Jinnah’s idea of tolerance.
Referring to a child’s question regarding Quaid-e-Azam’s grandchildren being Parsi despite Ruttie Jinnah converting to Islam, Humaira was surprised that someone so young had thought of this question and believed that it was essential to provide the younger generation with truthful answers pertaining to Jinnah’s family life.
“People need to know that there is nothing wrong with women wanting to marry out of their own free will,” she said. “Actually it is also so in Islam,” she added while referring to the students’ cheers during the movie where Ruttie announced that she was 18 and could legally marry Jinnah.
In a country where women are killed in the name of honour for choosing to marry a partner of their liking, Humaira believes that the fact that the country’s founding father himself married a woman who chose him even though her parents were against it, students need to think about it.
Similarly, while citing a scene from the movie where Jinnah admonished a man during a press conference for blaming him of having deviated from the teachings of Islam by encouraging Fatima Jinnah to participate in politics, she said it was important that the nation knew how rigorous a proponent of women empowerment Quaid-e-Azam was.
Veteran political activist, Azhar Jamil, who was invited as a speaker, was of the opinion that the film although not entirely historically accurate and was made from the director’s perspective, it did highlight Jinnah’s love for minority communities, his stance on women empowerment and his peaceful politics.
While referring to the violence that ensued following the partition, Jamil said it was actually the British administration’s failure to follow through a peaceful transition. “There were extremist elements on both sides of the border that used the circumstances to their benefit.”
Considering the extent to which religious fundamentalism had permeated through our society, he observed that dialogue and discussions were the need of the hour.
Admiring the students’ enthusiasm, Jamil said the questions might have been very simple but they were encouraged to read more about Jinnah.
Having pulled off the event amid the precarious law and order situation in the city, Humaira further plans on organising a similar event with students of elite schools paying for the tickets of students belonging to underprivileged schools.
She also plans on starting an essay competition with respect to the white colour in the flag denoting the representation of minorities in the country.