AREEBA ALTAF KANASRO
The essence of our cultural identity lies in the delicate balance between tradition and modernization. While acknowledging the need for progress, it’s crucial not to conflate the two disparate realms. Our cultural richness is embedded in customs, traditions, and faith, yet we find ourselves gradually losing this heritage to the overwhelming influence of Westernization. As a nation, we are navigating through a dark tunnel, witnessing the erosion of our ethics and morality under the relentless wave of Western cultural dominance. The perilous journey towards adopting foreign values leaves us on the brink of losing our identity. In the name of modernization, we risk becoming a society cut off from its roots. In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the term “Islamic” signifies our commitment to preserving and nurturing our Islamic heritage. Unfortunately, we often fail to recognize the encroachment of so-called modernization, which stealthily erodes our cultural foundation. The silent erosion of our heritage requires our immediate attention; we must resist being mere spectators to our cultural demise. It is imperative that we reevaluate our choices and redefine modernization within the boundaries of our cultural and Islamic heritage. Our attire, practices, and thoughts should harmonize with our cultural fabric. In this new era, we are facing Cultural Appropriations Cultures, disrespecting them by using their elements without knowing the depth of Significance I think we are the nation where cultures are important and more than this respecting them, but it’s very saddened that our communities are being cultural appropriated. People never understand the importance of any culture, and people can’t force themselves to fix in other cultures. Everybody should be fashion-forward, but there are some perimeters that should not be crossed by our people. Our people are being used to so much cultural appropriation in fashion, which is quite concerning. Unfortunately, our societies are losing traditions, and our industries are adopting western culture. The fashion industry needs to be mindful of cultural sensitivity. Another aspect of losing heritage is generational divide, which creates differences of thoughts, opinions, and thinking among different age groups. Each generational group brings different societal norms, technological styles, and work ethics, and new generations differently understand traditions, customs, culture, and values; they have dissimilar thoughts about adopting modernization; we are being very advanced; having advanced thinking is a fabulous approach, but adopting advanced attire is not right. Our industries have become so obsessed with westernization that they are forgetting their own cultures. We should be very connected to ancestral values. We must update our thinking, not our traditions. We should move on with our culture, not with adopting western style. There are so many cultures, but why have we only succumbed to westernization? It’s an alarming time for us because we are attracted to westernization. Stop doing cultural appropriation with each other’s heritage. Let’s move on with our own and let others live with their own.
