A woman was attacked by a group of angry people in Ichra, Lahore, because she wore a dress with Arabic text/writing (calligraphy) on it. They thought the Arabic words on her white dress were holy Quran verses, so they accused her of blasphemy.
The woman was seen wearing the dress with Arabic writing while sitting in a restaurant in Ichra market. Soon, a big crowd gathered around her, shouting mean things and making threats. Some of them closed in on her, making her really scared, while a few others tried to protect her from the angry mob.
When things got worse, the police arrived and recued the woman from the mob. Videos of the incident spread quickly on social media, showing a female police officer guiding the lady, who was covered in a burqa for protection. Assistant Superintendent of Police Gullberg (ASP) Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi acted fast to help the lady.
A crowd surrounded a lady in a pic thinking her dress had Quran verses. Luckily police came before things got bad. Turns out it was just Arabic writing, saying sweet. Sad state of affairs
— ī ám Hammad (@HammadZakir63) February 25, 2024
Come on, have some shame, cults! Stop using our prophet name you wrongdoers
Punjab police ❤️ pic.twitter.com/f76rvIOqdm
The Punjab Police chief, Dr. Usman Anwar, praised ASP Naqvi for her bravery, saying she risked her life to save the woman from the angry crowd. He said she would be recommended for a top bravery award in Pakistan.
"ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, the brave SDPO of Gulbarg Lahore, put her life in danger to rescue a woman from a violent crowd. For this heroic deed, the Punjab Police has recommended her name for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal (QPM), the highest gallantry award for law… pic.twitter.com/awHaIGVb9l
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) February 25, 2024
But later, it turned out the whole anger was for nothing because there were no Quran verses on the woman’s dress. It was just Arabic words meaning things like “beautiful” and “hello.”
ASP Naqvi said they checked the dress and found no Quran verses on it. “It was a mistake,” she said. The woman and her husband were shopping when the mob attacked them, mistaking the Arabic words on her dress for Quran verses.
It was revealed that the dress was from a Saudi Arabian brand called Shalik Riyadh, launched during Ramadan in 2022. “The best Ramadan 2022 collection has arrived,” the brand had said when posting a picture of the dress on Instagram.
The woman said she didn’t know what the words on her dress meant. She thought they were just pretty designs, not Arabic writing. She apologized for wearing a dress with Arabic writing, even though they weren’t religious verses.
“It was an accident. I’m sorry for what happened, and I’ll be more careful in the future,” she said. She added that as a Sunni Muslim, she would never disrespect Islam.
عوام کے بس میں ہو تو ہر چیز ہی توہین سمجھ کر لوگوں کی گردنیں اڑا دیں، خاتون نے پھر بھی معزرت کی لیکن یہاں پر اے ایس پی شیربانو قابل تعریف ہیں جنہوں نے وقت پہ کاروائی کر کے بچایا اور معاملہ حل کروا دیا۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/LOlGl7wynD
— Kamran Wahid (@Khankamoo) February 25, 2024
Some Pakistani internet users criticized the incident after seeing the videos. But some warned fashion brands against using designs that could be misunderstood and cause such problems.
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