In Lahore, Pakistan, a woman found herself in police custody after being surrounded by a mob due to her attire adorned with Arabic prints, which some individuals mistakenly interpreted as Quranic verses. A viral video captured her distress as she sat in a local restaurant, her hands shielding her face from the jeering crowd. Due to her colourful dress featuring printed letters, misconceptions led to accusations of disrespect towards the Quran, subjecting her to public scrutiny and ridicule.
In the midst of the commotion, a female police officer intervened, urging the crowd to refrain from violence and assisting the woman in leaving the premises safely. Sharing the video of the incident on social media platform ‘X’, the Punjab (Pakistan) Police wrote, “ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, the brave SDPO of Gulbarg Lahore, put her life in danger to rescue a woman from a violent crowd. For this heroic deed, the Punjab Police has recommended her name for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal (QPM), the highest gallantry award for law enforcement in Pakistan.”
Reflecting on the incident, the policewoman explained in another video, “The woman had gone shopping along with her husband. She had worn a kurta that had some words written on it. When some people saw it they asked her to remove the kurta. There was confusion…”
Subsequently, the woman issued an apology, expressing regret for any misunderstanding. “I bought the kurta for its design and didn’t anticipate this misunderstanding. I had no intention of disrespecting the Quran, but I apologise for any offense caused.”
On ‘X’, a user later clarified the misunderstanding, revealing that the Arabic writings on the woman’s attire were simple words, unrelated to religion, such as “حلوة” meaning “beautiful.” “Lahore… another drama. The woman was surrounded by people because there were names in Arabic on her wristbands, some are saying verses of Qur’an. Actually, it’s not.” They condemned the dangerous trend of mob violence sweeping the nation and shared an image allegedly depicting the same attire from an Instagram page promoting a Ramadan collection.
