Sometimes when I think about PAKISTANI CULTURE, I think it’s dominated by Hindu religion. Since we are living in multicultural society in West, we get to know lot of people, my very dear friend who is Hindu asked me different things. Her MIL died and daughter in laws have to do lot of things. They need to cook and clean, help everyone,main point is daughter in laws have lot of responsibilities on their heads. Islam didn’t give daughter in laws any responsibility but we are carrying it as our culture. Mehndi, tail functions are all part of Hindu religion, since its their religion they are doing it but why we are doing it? It’s not our culture instead we are introducing a new thing in our religion.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
I think you used culture and religion interchangeably in a few places. Hence the confusion.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
what hindu religious things do pakistanis do? i think you are confusing native culture and hinduism.
nowhere in hinduism does it say daughter in law does this does that. if she's the woman of the house after mil passes, it is basic common sense that she steps up and helps out.
i find religious people lack common sense a LOT. what is up with that? you don't need to reinvent the wheel every single time.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
It's more like Pakistani culture is dominated by Hindu/Indian culture.. not 'hindu religion'.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
All Cultures are rooted in a religion. Religious values dictate a culture. Good or bad depends on how the people of the land understand their religion.
Yes I agree with UZ, majority of the Pakistani culture copies Hindu culture which in turn is rooted in hinduism. When a hindu is following a ritual, he isnt doing anything wrong at all. He is respectfully following what his religion teaches him. We respect him for that.
But when a muslim claims to follow Islam but acknowledges innovations in Islam that might have been taken from another culture .. no matter how trivial they are , that is not something to be very proud of! We dont take Islam as just a religion, we completely see it as a code of life. As a system, rather then a religion. Islam set us free of so many unnecessary rituals and bindings and our culture should definitely reflect that .. but unfortunately it doesnt !!!
For example, Islam tells us marriage is a simple occasion where Nikkah and Walima are the only two functions acknowledged. Rest is all not needed. Muslims dont have to throw money and resources away on expensive mendi's and tail rasams and what ever .. but muslims do it, learning more and more from the hindu culture
Another example: Islam gives women immense respect. As a wife, she can very well refuse to take any responsibility for the housework. If her husband can afford, she can ask for a maid to conduct all household activity. In Indian culture, a bahu is thrashed if she refuses to cook and clean. Its considered her key responsibility. Why then should a muslim household bind themselves to a culture that goes agaisnt their own religion? Islam clearly tells a husband that he should be grateful to his wife if she looks after his home and household work. Its not "common sense" that she steps up, its her free will whether she wants to do it or not. Its not her duty , nor her responsibility to do so. She does it out of free will and love for her husband.
In essence, its ok to pick up certain cultural traditions if they dont go against your very own religion. But letting a culture take over your own culture specifically when majority things go against your religion, tells me one is a confused nation who have no idea what they are following !
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
^ here we go again.
If all cultures are rooted in religion, a Christian in Pakistan should be culturally the same as one in England.
In Indian culture a bahuth is thrashed if she dies not cook or clean? For sake of discussion let us concede that. So does this mean Hindu " culture" or religion teaches this? Of course not!
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
Culture grows over a period of time and becomes the integral part of native culture so throughly that religious practice and cultural practice are one and the same, when new religion with diferent cultural practices walks in, and native population converts to the religion, they hybrid it and brings recociliatory practice that is acceptable to both culture and religion.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
Culturalarly, Bahu ghar ki lakshmi hoti hai :), and it is true if one is married into right home :k:
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
i think weddings now a days are dominated by hindu culture, the other day i was looking on some bridal pics on fb n they were all doing hindu rasm like that mang bharna, feet washing with milk, n thn those hand prints on wall aur pata nhi kya kya.
earlier ppl used to say this is happenning because of star plus, i m just wondering now star plus is banned in pakistan but still its there 
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
Sorry Southie for disappointing you with my reply :hinna:
Just a quick thought, if a Christian in Pakistan celebrates Christmas, goes to church, does what a christian culture and religion expects of him, then by all means he is right in doing all of that. He is not doing anything wrong what so ever. If he picks a cultural value from a muslim tradition, that doesnt go against Christianity , he wont be doing anything wrong. but if he starts following muslim culture that holds Islamic value , i am sure even his family or other Christians will have issues with him !
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
CB, Southie has a point here. While I agree with you that a significant part of culture is somewhat related to the religion, I wouldn't go as far as saying it is entirely rooted in it.
Look at Pakistani Christian families living in the West. If "culture" was always rooted in religion, they would associate themselves with Christian Goras most of the time rather than with Pakistani Muslims. From what I have observed, this is not the case. Yes they go to Church, etc. But when it comes to other social gatherings the Pakistani Christians I have met feel much more comfortable with Pakistani Muslims. And that is due to the similar cultural background, which IMHO does not entirely root in religion.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
Hmm, thanks umer, i have given it a thought and am thinking you and Southie might have a valid point , that not all cultural values are rooted in religion. Just out of curiosity, please, can you quote me an example of something that may be hindu culture but not religiously rooted?
Now, UZ’s point was that Pakistani culture has some domination of Hinduism. At a recent wedding party, I saw Pakistani ladies wearing Bindi, later I was talking to a friend and she said she wears it too, its just a tradition and doesnt have hindu religion roots .. But a hindu friend told me the otherwise and then when I read more about it , I found out that it does indeed have religious roots and reasons why hindu’s wear a bindi … Bindi - Wikipedia
So I am now thinking that perhaps we get confused and start following other cultures and traditions blindly when we dont have enough knowledge to deal with the attraction and we cant differentiate between a “tradition” and “cultural value that represents a certain religion”
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
Just out of curiosity, please, can you quote me an example of something that may be hindu culture but not religiously rooted?
application of henna as decoration?
wearing of bangles by a married woman?
I'm guessing here.....
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
hmm thanks for commenting Muzna. Thing is both these are muslim traditions as well. Henna and bangles are both specifically mentioned in Sunnah to be used by muslim women. Hence why muslim women do it. but if you ask a hindu woman why she wears bangles .. its out of hindu spiritual effect that she does. I had once asked a lady the important of “sola singar” in the indian culture and one of the links was about bangles and I thought i will share it here since it sort of gives a hint how hindu spirituality has an impact on a cultural activity : Why are glass bangles preferred over plastic bangles?
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
I agree with your Hindu friend. This is one aspect of culture that is heavily based on religion. It is not “just a tradition”.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
can you please share the hadees or anything relevant that you have from Islamic history that references the wearing of bangles by women?
I've always been told that anything worn by women that makes sounds (payal, bangles, etc, etc) are not appreciated......
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
then why do hindu females cover their head, its not in their religion but taken from ours! so it goes both sides. We live together, we adopt a bit from eachother.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
yes i have heard the same, and i hav e also heard for fragrance women should apply mehndi not perfume n men should apply iter dont know if its true or not
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
I agree with your Hindu friend. This is one aspect of culture that is heavily based on religion. It is not "just a tradition".
i don't know of any religious reason for wearing bindi. traditionally they used to be worn only by married women. not anymore. it is just another part of make up.
Re: Is Pakistani culture dominated by Hindu religion?
then why do hindu females cover their head, its not in their religion but taken from ours! so it goes both sides. We live together, we adopt a bit from eachother.
As long as its not clashing with religion adopting a culture is fine.