University of Agriculture Faisalabad Rebranding Valentine Day as Sisters Day – مضامینِ نو : ویلنٹائن ڈے، زرعی یونیورسٹی اور سسٹرز ڈے
A Column about Valentine Day and Sisters Day. Of course, this is a frivolous activity that has no relevance to our society. This is the worst kind of immorality that is expressed on this particular day. Overall, not only is there hatred in our society regarding it, but the majority stays away from it and does not consider those involved in it good.
بلھے شاہ، شاعری اور پیغام ۔۔ مضامینِ نو، ڈاکٹر محمد جاسر آفتاب
Valentine Day and Society
On the contrary, there are also a number of people among us, albeit few, who consider this activity appropriate and actively participate in it. Not only unmarried youth but also married couples celebrate this day and express their love for each other despite the fact that this day has nothing to do with our religion, our culture and our traditions and despite the fact that we avoid telling our children the history of this day and want our children not to be involved in such activities.
A Personal Opinion on Valentine Day
I personally do not like this frivolous and indecent activity and I do not consider the youth involved in such activities reasonable. But this may be my personal opinion. I cannot force it on anyone. If I use words like following Western traditions, indecency or other such words for those who understand Valentine’s Day correctly and celebrate it, then people with opposing views may use words like stereotypes, narrow-mindedness and conservatism for me.
Valentine Day in Universities
On Valentine’s Day, a few couples will be seen in the university lawns who will be busy chatting in special clothes or on the other hand, some young people will be seen waiting for someone with flowers in their hands. Such an atmosphere will be seen less in government universities than in private universities. This day is not celebrated officially in any institution or even at the national level. This day is only for a few people who like it. Now, if this day has no official significance in a university, then it is not appropriate to officially announce any activity against it or parallel to it.
Sisters Day at the University of Agriculture
The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad has decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day as Sisters’ Day. On this day, the university will distribute scarves among girls. This is not only ridiculous but also a dangerous move. A university is not a primary school where you try to control the minds of children. The aim of a university is to provide opportunities for young people to learn in a free environment where they can examine different ideas and classes as per their wishes and then choose right and wrong.
The Role of a Vice Chancellor
Today, a Vice Chancellor is ideologically against Valentine’s Day, so he officially announced a new activity against this day and started distributing scarves among girls. Now it is also possible that tomorrow a Vice Chancellor who ideologically likes the West will come and announce the celebration of Valentine’s Day at the official level and start distributing flowers and jeans instead of scarves. Or a Vice Chancellor comes who is ideologically in favor of the veil and starts distributing burqas with a veil among people to celebrate World Hijab Day as World Niqab Day. Or another person becomes the Vice Chancellor and, according to his ideology, stands against World Women’s Day and starts distributing burqas with a cap among girls. Or a Vice Chancellor comes who bans girls from entering universities without a veil. Or a Vice Chancellor comes who is ideologically against girls leaving their homes and bans girls from entering universities. It is not known where they are taking the universities!
The job of the Vice Chancellor is not to impose his thoughts and ideas on people by coming to power, but as a leader, he has to take all the ideas and people with all kinds of thoughts with him in the institution and, overall, establish an atmosphere of tolerance, tolerance and forbearance in the institution.
An Alternative Approach
If the current Vice Chancellor believes that one should stay away from the frivolous activities of this day, which I personally believe, then for this, a few days before Valentine’s Day, a speech, writing or poster competition should be organized or a seminar should be organized. Here, another extreme activity has been announced against extreme activities to strengthen specific ideas and impose specific thinking on people.
The Sacred Relationship
On the other hand, you are insulting this relationship by associating a sacred relationship like sisterhood with this dirty day. People who are obsessed with Eastern traditions may not even know that in our society, any relationship between a girl and a boy is not looked upon favorably. People do not send their girls to universities to make friends, nor do they admit them to make brothers, uncles and other relationships.
If a flower given by someone can create problems for a girl and her family, then in the same way, any relationship for a girl, even if it is called a brother, can create problems for her. Similarly, any gift given by a boy can also spoil things even if it is given as a brother.
A Call for Institutional Attention
The Higher Education Commission and other institutions should take notice of this because this is a very dangerous move. It will once again promote intolerance, extremism and prejudice in universities. It will push higher education institutions back into the fire from which they have barely escaped.
With great difficulty, we have got rid of extremism and extremism in the country as a whole and a culture of tolerance is starting to flourish.
After the efforts of the Pakistan Higher Education Institutions, the incidents of extremism have decreased, you are heading in the same direction again.
A Continuing Concern
It is not known why the University of Agriculture Faisalabad has always been a victim of bias. Sometimes professional bias, sometimes regional bias, sometimes fraternity bias and now ideological bias.
