IT was mind boggling to see Finance Minister Asad Umar, an MBA from a prestigious business school of Pakistan, and Oxford-educated Prime Minister Imran Khan object to the association of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari with his maternal Bhutto lineage. They are probably too British in their understanding and are not familiar with the Islamic tradition which is as follows:

Hazrat Eesa (Jesus Christ), peace be on him, is identified in the Holy Quran by his mother — Eesa ibn-i-Mariam (Jesus son of Mary). On the Day of Judgment, people will be identified by their mothers’ names and not by their fathers’.

The Aal (the progeny) of Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him, is remembered as Aal-i-Rasool. This lineage is through his daughter, Hazrat Fatima.

This should remove misgivings in our highly misogynistic and male chauvinistic society which traits our prime minister and finance minister and others in the ruling coalition should not betray. Arguments should be responded to objectively and professionally and not subjectively in a predisposed manner. Speech should reflect the degrees one holds; otherwise it is highly embarrassing for us all.

Let us not run down the name Bhutto with Bilawal any more than we already have to our sheer disgust.

Dr Mahnaz Fatima

Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2019