“Train the boys too!”
Pakistani singer turned politician Abrar-ul-Haq shared a video of a young girl making roti on Twitter on November 25, 2021.
The young girl in the video, believed to be Abrar’s daughter, can be seen learning how to make roti.
In the caption of the video, the ‘Nach Punjaban’ singer wrote:
“Right age for the training.”
However, many social media users are calling the singer out for reinforcing the stereotype that girls should learn and perform domestic tasks.
Netizens were angry with Abrar’s caption and took to Twitter to share their thoughts.
One user said: “Cooking and cleaning is a basic life skill, not a gender role.”
Another added: “Hope your parents have trained you to make rotis that young as well.
“If not, they failed to teach you a basic survival skill.”
Right age for the training ? pic.twitter.com/7qVs3bc02H
— Abrar Ul Haq (@AbrarUlHaqPK) November 25, 2021
Sociologist Nida Kirmani also took notice of Abrar-ul-Haq’s tweet and said:
“For many South Asian feminists, making the perfect gol roti is symbolic of women’s oppression; it is the bar against all women eventually get measured regardless of all their other skills and accomplishments.
“It is a monotonous task very rarely assigned to men.”
For those asking ‘what’s the big deal’ re: Abrar ul Haq’s video of his little daughter making rotis. No, it’s not a crime against humanity, & yes she’s cute, but context matters.
— Nida Kirmani (@NidaKirmani) November 26, 2021
Another person simply wrote: “Train the boys too!”
Whilst many netizens rebuked the video, several sided with the ‘Billo De Ghar’ singer and took to Twitter to defend the video.
One user said: “People could have enjoyed this tweet but no, feminism had to come in.
“My 4-year-old boy makes paratha for his breakfast every day and it’s impossible to make him leave the kitchen.”
In response, a user jumped in and stated:
“Good for your 4-year-old but I didn’t see Abrar posting a video of him training his son to make rotis.
“His son probably wasn’t trained for that.
“Stop trying to make it seem like there isn’t a problem.”
Another user said: “There is absolutely nothing wrong with what Abrar has posted.
“I also made a similar video of my daughter and shared it with the family.
“Now before you jump to conclusions, I love to cook.”
Abrar-ul-Haq is yet to respond to the backlash he has received through his video.
The controversial video comes after the singer similarly faced backlash for a statement in which he criticised mothers for giving their children gadgets.
In a convention that took place in August 2021, Abrar said:
“In the past, mothers used to teach the kalma to their children, nowadays they give their phones on which the kids listen to ‘baby shark’.”
Abrar-ul-Haq’s statement sparked a debate on social media where some supported his sentiment whilst others disagreed.
One user said: “Umm, so the guy who sang ‘Billo De Ghar’ and ‘Nach Panjaban’ thinks that Pakistani moms letting their kids listen to ‘Baby Shark Doo Doo’ are responsible for our collective social and moral decline.”
Umm so the guy who sang ‘Billo de Ghar’ and ‘Nach Panjaban’ thinks that Pakistani moms letting their kids listen to ‘Baby Shark Doo Doo’ are responsible for our collective social and moral decline. #Taaliyan #AbrarUlHaq
— Maria Amir ? (@Beentherella) August 28, 2021
Another added: “Comparing Baby Shark with Kalimah is plain stupid!
“Abrar has made a joke of himself to please his boss by joining him in blaming the mothers/women to cover up the crimes against women under this government especially in Punjab.”
On the other hand, fans of Abrar-ul-Haq demanded that the singer release a Punjabi version of the viral children’s song ‘Baby Shark’.
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