Woman’s Arabic calligraphy attire sparks mob outcry

An angry mob in Lahore accused a woman who wore a dress adorned with Arabic calligraphy of blasphemy, after mistaking them for Quran verses. Later she was rescued by police, who took her to safety.

The situation turned ugly after someone alleged that the teenager’s dress was bearing Quranic verses. However, some shopkeepers defended the girl and provided her shelter in a shop, telling the mob at Ichra Bazaar that it was just an Arabic calligraphy print.

The dress has the word “Halwa” printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning sweet in Arabic.

Police, said, as quoted by BBC, that they received a call at around 13:10 local (08:10 GMT) on Sunday that a crowd had gathered around a woman at a restaurant in Lahore.

Pakistani police and shopkeepers save a woman from being lynched by an Islamist mob for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy on it.

As the police escorts her out from the shop, people in the crowd shout “behead her” pic.twitter.com/4NXDmer7G7

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 26, 2024

Around 300 people had crowded outside the restaurant by the time they arrived, said Assistant Superintendent Syeda Shehrbano.

Videos of her visibly scared and shivering, sitting in far corner of the restaurant, went viral on social media, where she can be seen shielding her face with her hand.

As per eyewitnesses, most of the charged people in the mob were either customers, visitors or passersby and the garment traders who rescued the girl were aware of the clothing with Arabic calligraphy print available in the market.

After the incident, she apologised for the chaos and stir caused due to the print. In the video shared online, the woman was heard saying, “I had bought the kurta as it had a good design. Did not think people would think in this way.”

These Mullas are trying to show as if they are being tolerant to forgive her. But they didn’t elaborate that it was simple Arabic calligraphy & not a Quranic verse.
No more hope from this society.
pic.twitter.com/WkVPXXMLcP

— Jessie Sharma (@JassiiSharma) February 25, 2024

“I did not have any intention of insulting the Quran. I apologise for the incident,” she added.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.