“The women here are so strong, so amazing…My mother in law went to Harvard Law at age 40. I find in my circle of friends that women’s rights are always discussed. However, sometimes I get a bit irritated,” Nuria continues. “As a woman, you get a lot of attention here whether you want it or not. The attention acts like an infringement on my freedom. Men stare so much that one does not feel comfortable going alone.”
As much as I would love to interview Nuria in her home, I am not likely to get a visa to visit Pakistan from the United States given the current political relationship between our two countries. That said, technology is a wonderful thing and we connect using FaceTime. It’s 11 a.m. my time; 11 p.m. her
time; our two lives are literally a world apart.
My very first question to her is about living as a woman in Pakistan and what might surprise others.
“I think what people might be most surprised about is the number of incredible people in Pakistan — as many dynamic women as there are in the west, you just have to know where to look. Honestly, a lot of it has to do with social class and what people see in the media,” she says. I ask her to elaborate. “Even with the young girl (Malala) recently getting a lot of press, shot for attempting to go to school — that is most definitely an exceptional case — it is not the norm by any means. However, a great deal of the disparity in young girls not getting educated is related to social class. In a lot of cases it is not something insidious (keeping girls out of school) it’s more about financial restraints — You keep the kids at home to help with the house work; it’s more a result of conditions families are living in than not.”
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We go on to talk with her at great length about her work with Pakistan Rising and Labour & Love…And circle back around to life as a Muslim woman in Pakistan:
Nuria with Labour & Love
“The women here are so strong, so amazing…My mother in law went to Harvard Law at age 40. I find in my circle of friends that women’s rights are always discussed. However, sometimes I get a bit irritated,” Nuria continues. “As a woman, you get a lot of attention here whether you want it or not. The attention acts like an infringement on my freedom. Men stare so much that one does not feel comfortable going alone.”
- It was such an honor to speak with her and I look forward to sharing her full chapter in the book!
Africa