I believe that we, Pakistani Muslims, are a bunch of confused people. Rather, I should say we are manipulative. At least the people who surround me are. And I would like to include myself in this group of manipulative people. As I say it, I am well aware of the fact that it is a harsh thing to say. But I am not passing a general judgment. There's a particular context with which this statement is attached. Sometimes we confuse religion with culture unconsciously, other times we confuse these two words intentionally, and this is exactly why I used the word "manipulative." We pretend to be confusing the words, when in reality, we use them for our own advantage. This reminds me of my maid's daughter who sometimes accompany her mother to help her complete the appointed tasks. A week earlier, I noticed the mother and daughter quarreling over something in low mummers. I asked them to discuss the matter with me. The daughter told me that her father forces her to wear a burqa saying that this is what Islam has asked us to do. The daughter's argument-which in my view was absolutely justified-was that she covers her body including the head in proper clothes and that is what our religion has asked us to do. She further told me that her father says, "Just imagine what kind of impression the people in the neighborhood and on the streets are going to have of you when you walk out of the door of your house without a burqa! Don't you think God is going to be angry with you then? Yes, he will be so angry! I found these dialogues nothing but funny! He does not even know what he is saying. Is he concerned about the people thinking bad about his daughter? Or is he concerned about God punishing her? This is exactly what I have been trying to convey to my readers. In reality, he is trying to force her daughter to wear burqa just because he does not want people to think he has not taught his daughter the right values. But he is trying to scare her daught