Comments on: Tahmena Bokhari - Mrs. Pakistan World 2010 Meets TPS

By: Saba

Saba — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:24:44 +0000

I am so proud of Tahmena. She is my role model and the role model of all of the women in my family and friends circle. We will always support her. We the women of Pakistan want new leadership. We want women in positions of power. We want justice for women who are mistreated and doqn righht degraded every second in Pakistan. We need diversity and variety in choices and options for women. Thank Allah for women like Tahmena Bokhari, she can do this, she can carry this, she is educated, empowered and independent. Thank Allah she is using all her qualities to help the rest of Pakistani women who are not. I thank God for any and all women who have the guts to speak out and stand up. We need a largr variety and diversity of images of Pakistani women, not the typical docile and full of fear frail woman.

I am sorry to say, I do not know any Pakistani woman who has as much guts as Tahmena, and her message is that more women can and should have such guts to do and be what they want to be in life. It is because of the ignorance in the Pakistani community, as witnessed in the comments section here, that keeps Pakistani women down.

The rest of you who have any issues need to wake up, get educated, deal with your brainwashing, deal with your own psychological problems, travel the world a bit, read what is happening in the world, and then come back with some kind of educated comments. Why are you so afraid of women like Tahmena? Are you threatened? Do you have something to hide? Do you secretly wish you were like her? Do you secretly wish you could meet her?

What have any of you done any way to make change in this world? What have you done for humanity? NOTHING!!! Yeah!!! Tahmena has worked in over a dozen countries. This woman knows what she is doing. Go travel the world, become a professor and then maybe you can say anything at Tahmena’s level !!!!!! This is the problem with our jealous victim poverty culture, anyone who does anything good is so damn criticized by the very people who will benefit from that person’s success!!!

By: Mona

Mona — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:41:21 +0000

I also like Sunny’s comment above,
“I have read Tahmena’s answer above and I agree it is brilliant. She supports diversity of religion and opinion. She is a humanitarian. Any Pakistani on here who does not suppport her does not support Pakistan in general and we have too many haters in our community. I agree this is because we come from a culture of poverty as Tahmena says, we were not taught love and compassion just hatred, especially for women who are independent and do not need men!
We need to learn from people who do take leadership. There are so few of them from Pakistan, but yes everyone wants to be the boss, but very few true selfless leaders. Tahmena does not need fame, nor money or anything, she is doing this out of passion for the causes she believes in and for the sake of humanity. “

By: M Sarwar

M Sarwar — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:46:45 +0000

How in the world can anyone DISAgree with what she has said about Islam? It is because of her I have accepted Islam again as I had ever heard it described so beautifully and she role models so much peace. How can you disagree with her? Unless ofcoure you are jihadist all you naysayers on this very conservative and backwards website. I do think the readership here must be quite a backwards type.
In anycase, all the better, you are the ones we need to liberate, given what Muslims are going through right now you have to be a fool to not support this woman….I mean seriously people WAKE UP!!!!!!! For the sake of innocent Muslims and others being killed around the world, WAKE UP!!!!

Bokhari states,
“My Islam is loving, compassionate, caring, forgiving, supportive, humane, educated, informed, self-preserving, giving, understanding, patient, positive, creative, open to new ideas and full of inner peace. My Islam is one which has taught me to love myself, love my body, appreciate life and respect my fellow human beings, man, woman, child, white, black or disabled.”

“My Islam is one in which judgments are left to a supreme being who is more knowledgeable than I. My Islam is one in which everyone is given a fair chance to live a quality life of success and happiness. My Islam is one in which women are not forced to sell their bodies or steal food in order to feed their childen.”

“My Islam is one in which individuals look within them to better the world before pointing fingers. My Islam is one in which everyone is included and accepted. My Islam is not shame, hate or fear based. I challenge people to remove any feelings of hate, anger and discrimination that they may have associated with their understandings of Islam.”

She is brilliant.

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:43:07 +0000

Tahmena Bokhari has clearly stated she does not claim to be an expert of Islam but merely is sharing her personal ideas. To me in fact she is more Muslim than many who claim to be. Her actions say it all, she is passionate, caring, selfless, a humanitarian, giving, dedicated, cares for her fellow neighbour, and so much more. She is like a Lady Diana and Mother Theresa in one as one person said above. We as Pakistanis need to support our own people. It is up to us whether we can see the beauty in her ideas or not. Her role has to do with presenting a positive image to a country which quite frankly has been ruined by nonsecularism. No wonder the country is just sinking everyday. We need bright talented diverse minds. I think this woman is great and a role model for all women, including my wife and daughters. Pakistan was not founded by Jinnah for Muslims alone, but for all people to prosper and live equally. Bokhari is demonstrating that.

By: M. Ali

M. Ali — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:24:43 +0000

I 100% agree with Nazia. Tahmena knows nothing about Islam, if she did, her body would not be on display. She should only concentrate on her short lived business.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:29:40 +0000

I have read Tahmena’s answer above and I agree it is brilliant. She supports diversity of religion and opinion. She is a humanitarian. Any Pakistani on here who does not suppport her does not support Pakistan in general and we have too many haters in our community. I agree this is because we come from a culture of poverty as Tahmena says, we were not taught love and compassion just hatred, especially for women who are independent and do not need men!
We need to learn from people who do take leadership. There are so few of them from Pakistan, but yes everyone wants to be the boss, but very few true selfless leaders. Tahmena does not need fame, nor money or anything, she is doing this out of passion for the causes she believes in and for the sake of humanity. Why would any one have a problem with that? Only those who are jealous. She is a gorgeous woman, even if she was in a burka one could tell that. More importantly, she is highly educated and intelligent and I am proud that she is Pakistani. The world does not expect a Tahmena to be Pakistani, but she is and I am proud!

By: James

James — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:24:17 +0000

I have to say again that I absolutely love Tahmena’s answer above. Have many of you actually read it in detail? I mean the woman is brilliant. And it floors me that Pakistanis would not support such a brilliant person, who can speak and represent these issues. Everytime I read her quotes I learn something, it makes sense, and she says it so well. What a kind, gentle and intelligent human being. She continues to amaze me with her talent and skill. She is truly above average people and I aspire to be more like her.

By: James

James — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:19:18 +0000

I am curious why the Pak Spectator did not cover any news about Tahmena’s trip to London? She spoke at a conference there, and met many dignitaries. Many Pakistani women were inspired by this. Many men in fact were inspired by her. Is Pak Spectator another typical Pakistani media that does not support Pakistani women? You need to support our kind people. Pakistanis have to be united not divided over silly small differences.
I suggest you all visit her blog at http://tahmenabokhari.blogspot.com/

By: Jamal

Jamal — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:13:35 +0000

Quite frankly, as a Pakistani male I wish my wife and daughters and sisters were more like Tahmena. My sisters have been shut down whenever they had a passion, and hence only became housewives with no awareness of what is happening in the world. My wife comes from a religious and uneducated family and when we got married I had wished she would speak better English and dress more westernized since we live in the west. It took her a long time to get used to it and now she is even starting to learn to swim. I love to see my wife in all kinds of clothing and I wish there was not this taboo in the culture. As a man, I feel the way a woman dresses is none of my business and I should not dictate because of my own deficiencies how she should dress. I also think that we are giving men permission to be animals, thinking that showing a shoulder will mean that a man will get turned on and wont be able to control his behaviour or his thoughts. I think that is ridiculous. I have lived in the west all my life and see women in bikinis and skirts all the time, and frankly I do not feel I turn in to some animal when I see them. It is not fair to women that because men are afraid of their own behaviour that women than have to limit themselves. I think as men we have to better role models and respect all women, despite what they are wearing. I think the world would be a better place if women were more actively involved and we as men should encourage this, not criticise a woman for petty things.

By: N Shah

N Shah — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:23:12 +0000

I am a Pakistan male, and not that I like to brag about my old age but certainly quite senior member of our community. I have to tell you that I admire Tahmena Bokhari a great deal and support her and anything she participates in. I am proud that bmsd invited her to speak at their wonderful and refreshing conference. It is sad to say that in my many years, many travels and the wide network of friends that I have I do not know many Pakistani women or any women to be like Tahmena. Women like her are rare and we must support them, she is what leadership is made out of. Tahmena is bold, educated, strong, independent, caring, a humanitarian, family oriented and all these qualities in one person who seems to carry it all so well and make it look easy. Her beauty is that she has so many traits, so many people can relate to her, but she never forgets who she is and where she has come from. She is the most well balanced and well rounded person I know. I believe that clothes do not make a person, but rather the deads a person does. Tahmena has done a lot, more than many so called leaders that I know, more than these politicians and certainly more than many men I know who claim to be experts in Islam. Tahmena advocates to be a strong and positive person, to contribute to your community and to know yourself. She has worked for the community since she was just a child, has served over 7000 clients, donating her time, money and energy to Pakistanis. She lived with the victims of the earthquake in tents, she served in countries around the world, lived in tiny dirty sheds with the people she was serving and not in a hotel, she helped feed the kids of these poor widowed women, as dirty and sick as they were she held them in her arms where many would not even want to be near them. She wanted to be with the people, to understand them and help them in a way that they wanted. She did not have to do that, but she did! She does not have to do anything at all, but she does. Many in her shoes are using their education and money only to help themselves. She is using her privilege to promote the messages she believes in and for justice, which quite frankly many do not have the know-how or the guts to do. Women have not been encouraged in our community to dream big and then work on their dreams, and that is what Tahmena is giving to a lot of women. I would be proud if the children in my family would be like Tahmena, bold and passionate, that goes for the women and the men. Thank you