The problem with desi society is that we appear to be ‘understanding’ and ‘acceptable’ and love throwing around words like ‘open-minded’ and ‘modern’ when it suits us. But the truth is, many Pakistanis don’t practice what they preach. Many of our compatriots try to bend and shape things as they deem fit.
The sad thing is, we also make relationships based on a certain set of ideas and when someone turns out to be a little different than our expectations of ‘moral values’, we won’t hesitate to ditch them.
Marriage also comes somewhere between adjustments and compromises for us. A society that openly rejects inter-sect marriages isn’t at all welcoming to inter-racial marriages either.
And the people who fight against these differences and marry the love of their lives, have to face criticism for the rest of their lives. In some unfortunate cases, they are either excluded, even killed in the worst cases. Yet we try to celebrate people from other countries or backgrounds as long as they conform to our own particular viewpoint. Only the year might have changed, our mindsets haven’t.
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Shaniera Akram Talks About the Ugly Truth
In her recent Instagram post, Shaniera Akram sparked a much-needed conversation about the acceptance of inter-racial marriages in Pakistan.
Shaniera, an Australian native herself, made waves in Pakistan after she became Wasim Akram’s second wife after the demise of Huma Wasim.
Addressing all the negative comments that Shaniera and Wasim Akram have been receiving since they got married, she wrote,
“‘He only married her because she’s white. She must be easy! Does his skin smell different? Why couldn’t he marry a Brown girl? It’s not natural for two skin colours to mix. Interracial relationships never work…”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBPzDWPjozV/
She went on to say,
“We have had it on both sides, it’s ugly and unwarranted! Skin colour only troubles the people in this world who sees it. Skin colour only troubles the people in this world who sees it. Like millions of others, we are living proof that colour means absolutely nothing, LOVE does.”
Are we finally ready to be accepting of people from different backgrounds? Is Shaniera Akram fighting a losing battle here? And while we’re at it, people forget that this was the same reason Imran Khan and Jemima Goldsmith divorced in the first place.
Can we change our way of thinking when it comes to inter-racial marriages? Let us know in the comments below.
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