Abstention

Spicy aaloo chanay with Fresco’s meethi dahi puri.

Garma garam pakoray dipped in Mitchell’s tomato sauce.

A refreshing glass of orange Tang, full to the brim with clinking ice cubes.

For Sameer, the focal point of the month of Ramadan has always been mouth-watering food. True, the consecrated spirit of the occasion brings out the religious convert in him, making him staunchly punctual for his Fajr prayers. But the joy comes in the form of platters of deep-fried delights. In his opinion, there is nothing better than sitting down with family for iftar after fifteen hours of abstention from food, drink and unwelcome thoughts.

More often than not, Sameer’s family is unable to congregate for meals due to everyone’s varying schedules. For this reason, sehri and iftar are welcome changes, when the five of them (his parents, two sisters and Sameer himself) can enjoy the chow as well as some light conversation. This year though, each day at iftar, the family has started discussing issues of real importance and yesterday, Sameer’s sister raised a topic of huge concern.

While having tea after the maghrib prayers, Sadia asked everyone to talk about something they were thankful for. Sameer was reminded painfully of the Thanksgiving scene from The Company Men. He wondered why Sadia did not jump right into what was on her mind. Nevertheless, he played her little game. When Sadia’s turn came, everyone looked at her expectantly but what they heard was nothing short of unexpected.

Sadia was thankful that in the holy month of Ramadan, depraved men on the streets had the decency to lessen their harassment of women. She was grateful that on her way home from DOW (where she was a second year student), men in the bus did not try to caress her behind through the gap between the women’s seats adjoining the men’s compartment. Sadia was relieved to be able to commute the walk from the bus stop to their house without being x-rayed from head to foot. She was happy that wolf whistling and cat calls did not pursue her every step and that no one tried throwing chits at her with their phone numbers printed on them.

Sameer was stunned, angry and disgusted. He knew that women on the streets were often subjected to blatant sexual harassment but he had never assumed his own sister would become a victim. Ironically, the men’s behavior only seemed to fortify Sadia’s confidence in herself and Sameer was proud of her for handling herself so well. Sameer did not like that women’s cries fell on deaf ears and it was only men like him who could possibly take steps to change the sick mentality of his fellow countrymen.

He wonders how men can pretend to wash away their sins in the mosque or cleanse their souls by fasting when their thoughts and actions remain as perverted as before these rituals. Sameer couldn’t consider such men Muslims or Pakistanis because neither his religion nor his country stood for wantonness like this.