Junaid Jamshed has yet again managed to simultaneously amuse and cause outrage in people all over the world. The world is amused at yet another absurd remark made by this singer turned ‘mullah’. Looks like he has taken the entertainment industry a bit too literally. At the same time, he has caused outrage owing to the fact that with criticism pouring in for Islam from all over the world, this is hardly any time for a cleric to tarnish the religion’s reputation any further.
It seems like Junaid Jamshed is now certain that he can get away with anything he says. With his beard shielding him from any consequences of the things he says, he is free to criticize, ridicule and demean anyone he wishes with the assurance that no harm will come to him. When Maulana Junaid Jamshed’s image starts deteriorating on the social media, he simply offers unapologetic apology via a video and behold, all is forgotten.
The fact that Junaid Jamshed is a misogynist is no secret. The man hasn’t been hesitant to criticize women on every public forum he manages to get access to. From opposing women’s right to drive to implying that a woman is ‘as twisted as a rib’, the man has said it all. It was, therefore, no surprise when he recently made a statement that since God doesn’t like women, it hasn’t mentioned any women in the Quran and the only woman mentioned in the Quran was mentioned with reference to her son. Shortly after the clip went viral and people started criticizing him, he uploaded a video of himself and ‘justified’ what he had said. I’m certain all will be forgotten once more.
While I am a strong advocate of forgiving people for their mistakes and letting them rectify their past errors, I strongly condemn how people like Junaid Jamshed make a fool out of the masses. Religion is a powerful tool in the hands of people which they can use to manipulate hundreds of thousands of people. Junaid Jamshed is one such example. He conveniently manages to get away with things no man would be able to without the support of religion. Junaid Jamshed’s ‘blasphemy’ was forgiven because the pious man made a grave mistake which he apologized for in front of a virtual audience.
I won’t be surprised if he says something even more absurd in the days to come. I won’t be surprised when he manages to get away with that too. You see, people like Junaid Jamshed feed off the foolishness of the masses. Junaid Jamshed, the man who fled the country since he feared he would be tried under the blasphemy law, came back not only to do a Ramzan show but also managed to make that show the most viewed Ramzan show, leaving behind Dr. Amir Liaqat Hussain, another self-proclaimed guardian of religion.
Junaid Jamshed, the very man who reaps profits via his franchise that sells women overpriced, overrated lawn suits, goes on to criticize women to extents that his remarks become derogatory.
In his video, he rubbed the fact on his viewers’ faces that he gave up his career for the sake of God. What I fail to understand is that how in the world does that decision of his give him the power to ridicule women? Junaid Jamshed, the man who preaches a religion that claims to be the only religion that safeguards women’s rights, openly insults women. Since many of his fans believe him to be a very accurate representative of Islam, do his remarks actually reflect Islamic principles? If not, then why is this man so popular within religious groups? If yes, then why do Muslims get infuriated when someone implies that women are not given their due rights in Islam?
Representatives of religion only manage to attain the position they have with the support of the masses. The Muslim world needs to decide whether people like Junaid Jamshed should be representing it, in which case they should not get offended at any criticism brought forward on the teachings of Islam, or it should denounce such maulvis and openly declare that these men have nothing to do with Islam. Continuing to support such men will only tarnish the already fragile image of Islam.
