Kehkashan Khalid cautions us against being indifferent to the trend of cross- dressing
The term ‘cross-dressing’ has been described as transvestism in ‘The Oxford Dictionary.’ The term transvestism is further described as dressing in the clothing of the opposite sex as a form of psychological abnormality. Probably because this is the first step towards an individual’s confusion regarding his own gender and identity. This further leads to complex issues of his / her role and responsibilities in the society.
No wonder more than fourteen hundred years ago the Prophet (sa) stated that men, who dress up as women, or women, who dress up as men, will be cursed (Bukhari). At that time, it was probably hard for his people to understand, how this could be possible. Now we see it happening all around us – women cut their hair so short that it is practically plastered to their scalps and go out to work in factories, dressed in jeans and shorts.
Alternately, men appear more and more feminine, with shaven beards, their hair growing way past their shoulders, their faces made up, and their bodies adorned with gold. Men salons mushrooming everywhere are a key indicating factor of how conscious today’s man has really become of his appearance. Gone are the days of rough and tough and rugged to the skin macho image. Now men want to boost a neat and suave look no matter how feminine it may appear.
So walking into clothing store, we see women’s embroidered Kurtis in the men’s section, because some men want to wear them. Moreover, a cable channel in our very own country airs a man dressed in a pink and gold Sari, hosting a local television show, as if perfectly normal. This novel idea is supposed to be a big hit and considered to be a trend setter.
The West aids us in the assimilation of such newfound ideas. In the movie “Lilo and Stitch” an alien, who is shown as being the more sensible and concerned one, is gay. Time and again he dons colorful wigs and frivolous makeup, and is shown as being the good-guy. Furthermore, the concept of cross-dressing is now being introduced in books that children read at school, so that they grow up without prejudice towards such people. Children are meant to understand that these people will be allowed to do as they wish because in these ‘modern’ times we believe in ‘liberty.’
The Western culture has infiltrated our minds, upset our religious values, and opened new channels for supposedly ‘broadening’ our minds so much that we respond to their call like sheep following the shepherd’s cry, unable to decide for ourselves.
The parable of those who reject faith is as if one were to shout like a goat herd to things, that listen nothing, but calls and cries; deaf, dumb and blind, they are void of wisdom.
For those, who reject faith, the highest wisdom and most salutary regulations are lost. They are like ‘dumb driven cattle’ that merely hear calls but cannot distinguish intelligently between shades of meaning or subtle differences of values.
A law in the West states that two men may marry each other and for their convenience will be pronounced ‘partners,’ rather than the customary ‘husband and wife.’ Are we blindly going to incorporate this change into our lives, too?
Of course, it is sad that the West does not know, how truly rewarding it is to follow a way of life, which is as well laid out and clear as Islam. But isn’t it an even greater pity that those, who know the truth about Islam’s beauty, do not chose to adhere to it either?
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