Aurat Azadi March continues to brew controversy after a video showing questionable chants and slogans surfaced online.
A video snippet from the Aurat March held at Karachi’s iconic Frere Hall shows the crowd chanting ‘Azadi’ slogans. With the video being noisy, it is unclear what exactly the women are chanting, however, the Urdu subtitles have stirred quite a controversy on social media.
These captions have sparked much backlash against Aurat March and it’s organizers.
https://twitter.com/izaaahid/status/1369894240986206209
https://twitter.com/MehsudRohaid/status/1369897226638622722
https://twitter.com/Mariyam10081526/status/1369916014306205696
https://twitter.com/SawirOrakzai/status/1369916268459986944
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The movement’s management even posted the lines in these Aurat March slogans, in order to dispel the misunderstanding and blasphemy allegations.
انصار (عباسی) بھی سن لے
اوریا بھی سن لے آزادی
اوریا بھی سن لے آزادی
اوریا بھی ان لے آزادی
زاہد حامد سن لے آزادی
زاہد حامد سن لے آزادی
ہے حق ہمارا آزادی
آئین میں لکھا آزادی
دستور میں لکھا آزادی
تیرا باپ بھی دے گا آزادی
تیرا باپ بھی دے گا آزادی
تیرا باپ بھی دے گا آزادی— Aurat March – عورت مارچ (@AuratMarchKHI) March 10, 2021
However, the heat does not seem to be subsiding.
Strongly agree. This march should must be Ban in Pakistan. #DharnaAgainstAuratMarch #BanAuratMarch https://t.co/2MDpPSyHcF
— Saqib Rajput 🇵🇰 (@SaqibRajputAdv) March 11, 2021
People opined that since the agenda of the March is objectionable, it’s likely people are not mistaken and the Aurat March slogans heard in the video are indeed blasphemous.
11) When you can condone Homosexualilty, and raise flags similar to those of France, why can't these misleading words be then taken to having been targeting the character of the Holy Prophet PBUH
State Youth Parliament#DharnaAgainstAuratMarch pic.twitter.com/EPgiZODiMo— Zafar Ullah Jan (@ZafarUllahJan9) March 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/mohsi21/status/1369880269340151808
https://twitter.com/HafizaSabi/status/1369892472986370048
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‘Patriarchy Ka Pandemic’: Aurat March 2021 Wants ‘Gender-Based’ Violence Deemed a Health Care Issue
The Urdu subtitles on the video have caused quite a stir with the State Youth Parliament using this as a catalyst to initiate a legal crackdown on Aurat March and its organizers.
*Government must take a quick action against all these liberal aunties before it's too late!*#DharnaAgainstAuratMarch
States Youth Parliament pic.twitter.com/FLMm9ujV0b— Mohsin Awan (@Mohsin_949) March 11, 2021
Being Chairman Of the Provincial youth Assembly of Khyberpakhtunkhwa, we fully support State Youth Parliament in #DharnaAgainstAuratMarch. Our “Capital Chapter” team will be there in the supervision of @jalalsherazi.
— Abid Atozai (@AtozaiKhan) March 11, 2021
They have even organized a protest against the women rights movement tomorrow on Friday 12th, March at 2:00 pm.
Some called for a less extreme approach when it comes to opposing the Aurat Azadi March.
https://twitter.com/rajal_abbas/status/1369916515340988419
https://twitter.com/MohammadAhmadMD/status/1369893484816130048
https://twitter.com/Zeeshan9263/status/1369886835732848643
All backlash aside, there are people that still standing up for the march and what it stands for. There was a lot of backlash towards the Twitter user that is suspected to have posted the captions. There are even allegations of the footage being tampered with in order to spark blasphemy allegations.
A country where people are trending #Lanat and #DharnaAgainstAuratMarch on #Twitter . What do you expect how women are treated in such societies 🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/SjatONHvTo
— Mir Hunzai (@FarzV) March 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/desiblair01/status/1369717652982235138
She says "Ansaar bhi sun lein" (referring to Ansaar Abbasi)
Then says "Orya bhi sun lein" (referring to Orya Maqbool Jan)
Before that she says, "Mullah bhi sun lein" (referring to the tattas that rape children in medrasas)
Apologize, take it down & educate your colleague too.
— Shahrukh Waheed (@stirrups69) March 10, 2021
They say mullah, it's pretty clear. https://t.co/PvNfFMjy2V
— Mogis (@Einstonerrr) March 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/__haseeb2412/status/1369714463088254982
https://twitter.com/ZKAliiii/status/1369710626944212992
https://twitter.com/desipuppicino/status/1369709858946224134
Oyyyyy jahano Ky lame insaan, Mullah keh rhi haiiiiiii https://t.co/lfFN0Lv9DG
— Salvatore (@emilyhenryscat) March 10, 2021
Kitny nafiloun ka sawab mil gya edit krr k ?
It was “MULLAH BHI SUN LEIN AZAADI”
NAUZUBILLAH not “ALLAH BHI SUN LEY….” https://t.co/1aOexi5e2y— hassan.eth 🧱🚀 (@iits_hassan) March 10, 2021
Activists like Ammar Ali Jan and Jibran Nasir pointed out how sharing a wrongly-subtitled video makes for a strong blasphemy allegation. They demanded the user take the video down and issue a clarification.
You are a well known & experienced anchor. Before sharing this video you should've checked with @AuratMarchKHI organisers. It was not "Allah", it was "Mullah", not "Rasool' but "Fazlo", not "Aulia" but "Orya". Your tweet is adding to blasphemy propaganda against them. Pls verify https://t.co/j3aOV1Yfz0
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) March 11, 2021
The original video from #AuratMarch with correct subtitles exposing the malicious and nefarious propaganda against the March organisers. pic.twitter.com/SVqTpZ8BwZ
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) March 11, 2021
Orya Maqbool, Mir Muhammad Ali Khan & Ansar Abbasi deliberately shared fake blasphemous material. They have endangered lives of hundreds of women across Pakistan.
Will FIA & state institutions take action against these clowns for sharing blasphemous content & threatening others?
— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) March 11, 2021
Jibran Nasir lamented how media, the fourth pillar of democracy, played a part in endangering the lives of Aurat March organizers. Ammar Ali Jan even suggested action against those who created and circulated the doctored footage with blasphemous slogans.
Some media personnel even tried to make amends.
Thank you. Hope other friends from media will also follow this example and correct their mistake on realising that the video is doctored with similar sounding but incorrect subtitles in a malicious attempt to implicate #AuratMarch organisers in blasphemy controversy. https://t.co/is0jBdQc2d
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) March 11, 2021
What do you think? Did you listen to the chants in the video? What is your take on it? Let us know in the comments below.
