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In a strange incident a Muslim Student,Mehreen Shafaq has been denied admission in the prestigious GC University Lahore only because she refused to take off her face veil infront of the male interview panel.
The incident is outrageous because Mehreen qualified for the university and was refused only after the interview.
It is also worth noting that presently there are a number of 'veiled' female students already pursuing degrees in the University.
Mehreen plans to file a case against the interview panel in Lahore High Court.
The original story follows from her own fb account :
" I need support of my every fellow student.Read, Share and Spread ....Being a Pakistani, many times at different incidents, we are compelled to question our basic rights in our own Islamic Republic of Pakistan.Especially being a female , we the lesser concerned individuals mostly face hurdles in a male dominant society like ours. But recently I faced the biggest dilemma of our society. A beard Student can attend a college or university but a Veiled girl can not!!Recently I, Mehreen Shafaq, took the entrance test of a well renowned university of Pakistan, GC University Lahore. I submitted the fee and were allowed to take the examination in my veil. I qualified the test and received an interview call from the university administration for admission for Bsc. Hons. Applied Management.On 6th of August , I went from Islamabad to Lahore for the interview. I reached the university on 9:40 am and after a quick search, I found the department of management studies. I was handed over a form to fill and all the necessary procedures were carried by the female coordinator present there. After copying my original documents and helping me fill the form she politely said ' Mehreen we have an issue here. You will not be forwarded to the interview panel if you did not take your veil off.' I was shocked by her words . Take my veil off ? But for what ? I was about to be a student in a coeducational institute in an Islamic state and I qualified the test, I fulfilled the eligibility criteria but what to take my veil off for ? I asked her politely the reason and she said ' It is our policy that we do not take the students that wear veil.'I requested her to forward me to the interview panel and let me talk to them. My interview was to be conducted earlier but I had to wait two hours for the Director Najaf Yawar to come to the interview panel as according to her , he was the ultimate authority to decide if I can be the part of this university with veil or not.After a wait of two hours I was sent to the interview room. I gave a normal introduction and the interview panel asked me few normal questions. Then they asked:'How do we know you are Mehreen Shafaq?'' You have a female coordinator , ask her to match my face to my picture , I have no objection on that.' I replied.Suddenly one of the interviewer raised the photocopy of my filled form , turned it towards me and said mockingly ' Here's your picture on it, I can see it , what's the point of wearing veil then?'I was shocked at his disrespectful attitude towards a female student. The picture was meant for the management of GC and for the respect of the followed procedures and not for general public. I replied ' I may count it as a discrepancy of our system that at times females have to cooperate and compromise with such scenarios and hand over their pictures to institutes for verification and record'. When he noticed I wasn't getting confused neither was I misbehaving to give him a reason to reject me, he directly said ' Mehreen we don't take students that wear veil. We have all male lecturers and we can not take the headache of daily confirmation if it's you in the veil or not.' I said 'Sir how are we supposed to stand against laws of France and other countries against our religion if our own Islamic State will create hurdles in our path?' All of a sudden Mr. Najaf Yawar , the so called Director, started shouting at me ' Are you here to preach us ? We all have our own versions of religion and you are, in no way, a better Muslim than me . ' Then to utter disrespect in an insulting manner , the director of GC Mr. Najaf Yawar said ,' Ap Jesi larkion k lye girls colleges and women universities hain. Ap ja kar kisi aesi university me apply Karen . ( There are girls colleges and women universities for girls like you , you should apply in any of those.)For girls like you ! This sentence still echoes in my brain raising many questions. Just because I wore a veil, he judged my character as one of those girls who did not deserve to be in co-education. A veil is supposed to be wore in a co-educational institute and not in a women university but because I am a female I cannot raise a voice in this male dominant society to ask him why a beard man can attend the university but a veiled woman can't ! Why the whole male lecturers are privileged in a way that all females shall be with no veil at all? Why the interview panel treated me just as a female veiled student and not like a normal Student . In this Islamic Republic of Pakistan , this debate can be raised in the name of the basic religion of this country as it is our very right to follow every Islamic rule in our country but here we should also consider the basic , ethical and moral rights of every male and female student of this country.One of the interviewer said ' You are a good candidate but we can't let you study here in veil'. Today the merit list was published and despite the fact I qualified the test, gave the interview satisfactory in affluent English ( that was one of their requirements) , was called a 'good candidate' by the interviewer , I could not find my name in the merit list anywhere because I am a female that wears Veil in our Islamic Republic Of Pakistan.A day of shame for the renowned GC university and Pakistan. A day of injustice and usurpation of basic rights of a Pakistani once again. I wish to raise a voice against this injustice and all I need, is Support !Read , Share and SpreadSo every person can know on what basis these so called pioneers of success and excellence select their candidates. I can not find any shelter from this injustice done to me but I can raise a voice by your help , file a suit and let them know that a female veiled student has as many rights and privileges as any other normal student!Thank You."
The incident is outrageous because Mehreen qualified for the university and was refused only after the interview.
It is also worth noting that presently there are a number of 'veiled' female students already pursuing degrees in the University.
Mehreen plans to file a case against the interview panel in Lahore High Court.
The original story follows from her own fb account :
" I need support of my every fellow student.Read, Share and Spread ....Being a Pakistani, many times at different incidents, we are compelled to question our basic rights in our own Islamic Republic of Pakistan.Especially being a female , we the lesser concerned individuals mostly face hurdles in a male dominant society like ours. But recently I faced the biggest dilemma of our society. A beard Student can attend a college or university but a Veiled girl can not!!Recently I, Mehreen Shafaq, took the entrance test of a well renowned university of Pakistan, GC University Lahore. I submitted the fee and were allowed to take the examination in my veil. I qualified the test and received an interview call from the university administration for admission for Bsc. Hons. Applied Management.On 6th of August , I went from Islamabad to Lahore for the interview. I reached the university on 9:40 am and after a quick search, I found the department of management studies. I was handed over a form to fill and all the necessary procedures were carried by the female coordinator present there. After copying my original documents and helping me fill the form she politely said ' Mehreen we have an issue here. You will not be forwarded to the interview panel if you did not take your veil off.' I was shocked by her words . Take my veil off ? But for what ? I was about to be a student in a coeducational institute in an Islamic state and I qualified the test, I fulfilled the eligibility criteria but what to take my veil off for ? I asked her politely the reason and she said ' It is our policy that we do not take the students that wear veil.'I requested her to forward me to the interview panel and let me talk to them. My interview was to be conducted earlier but I had to wait two hours for the Director Najaf Yawar to come to the interview panel as according to her , he was the ultimate authority to decide if I can be the part of this university with veil or not.After a wait of two hours I was sent to the interview room. I gave a normal introduction and the interview panel asked me few normal questions. Then they asked:'How do we know you are Mehreen Shafaq?'' You have a female coordinator , ask her to match my face to my picture , I have no objection on that.' I replied.Suddenly one of the interviewer raised the photocopy of my filled form , turned it towards me and said mockingly ' Here's your picture on it, I can see it , what's the point of wearing veil then?'I was shocked at his disrespectful attitude towards a female student. The picture was meant for the management of GC and for the respect of the followed procedures and not for general public. I replied ' I may count it as a discrepancy of our system that at times females have to cooperate and compromise with such scenarios and hand over their pictures to institutes for verification and record'. When he noticed I wasn't getting confused neither was I misbehaving to give him a reason to reject me, he directly said ' Mehreen we don't take students that wear veil. We have all male lecturers and we can not take the headache of daily confirmation if it's you in the veil or not.' I said 'Sir how are we supposed to stand against laws of France and other countries against our religion if our own Islamic State will create hurdles in our path?' All of a sudden Mr. Najaf Yawar , the so called Director, started shouting at me ' Are you here to preach us ? We all have our own versions of religion and you are, in no way, a better Muslim than me . ' Then to utter disrespect in an insulting manner , the director of GC Mr. Najaf Yawar said ,' Ap Jesi larkion k lye girls colleges and women universities hain. Ap ja kar kisi aesi university me apply Karen . ( There are girls colleges and women universities for girls like you , you should apply in any of those.)For girls like you ! This sentence still echoes in my brain raising many questions. Just because I wore a veil, he judged my character as one of those girls who did not deserve to be in co-education. A veil is supposed to be wore in a co-educational institute and not in a women university but because I am a female I cannot raise a voice in this male dominant society to ask him why a beard man can attend the university but a veiled woman can't ! Why the whole male lecturers are privileged in a way that all females shall be with no veil at all? Why the interview panel treated me just as a female veiled student and not like a normal Student . In this Islamic Republic of Pakistan , this debate can be raised in the name of the basic religion of this country as it is our very right to follow every Islamic rule in our country but here we should also consider the basic , ethical and moral rights of every male and female student of this country.One of the interviewer said ' You are a good candidate but we can't let you study here in veil'. Today the merit list was published and despite the fact I qualified the test, gave the interview satisfactory in affluent English ( that was one of their requirements) , was called a 'good candidate' by the interviewer , I could not find my name in the merit list anywhere because I am a female that wears Veil in our Islamic Republic Of Pakistan.A day of shame for the renowned GC university and Pakistan. A day of injustice and usurpation of basic rights of a Pakistani once again. I wish to raise a voice against this injustice and all I need, is Support !Read , Share and SpreadSo every person can know on what basis these so called pioneers of success and excellence select their candidates. I can not find any shelter from this injustice done to me but I can raise a voice by your help , file a suit and let them know that a female veiled student has as many rights and privileges as any other normal student!Thank You."
