Date sent:        Thu, 04 Apr 1996 03:20:19 -0800
Subject:          Sociology report upload














The Culture of Pakistan:
An Interview with 
Sohail Shah










by
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Introduction to Sociology, MTW 10am
Mrs. Linda Cook
February 15, 1995


 I am always fascinated with other people's cultures.  The New York or Californian culture
 always amazes me although these states are in the United States.  These areas of the nation
 seem very different than Texas.  I do not have any friends that have recently moved here
 from another culture so, I set out to my neighborhood Stop N Go.  The clerks at this
 convenience store are all from other countries.  One clerk whom I have talked to many
 times, named Sohail Shah, always spoke of Pakistan.  I often listened to his stories of
 being in the Karachi police force or of  Pakistan's different customs.  Sohail Shah, a
 thirty year old male clerk at the Stop N Go located on North Braeswood near Chimney Rock,
 has been in the United States for four years.  He moved here with his wife and two children
 to "escape punishment".  Sohail claims he was in the secret police protecting the president
 when many governmental changes were made.  Many of his co-workers were put in jail for many
 years for reasons he would not openly discuss.  He has to work two jobs because his wife
 does not work.  According to Mr. Shah, she will never work. In Pakistan, women are to stay
 home and raise children.  Currently, Sohail is observing the holy month of fasting called
 Ramadan.  This is observed during the ninth month of the Islamic year and is ordained by
 the Koran, the Islam holy book.  The fasting begins every morning at dawn and ends
 immediately at sunset.  Muslims cannot eat, drink or smoke at all.  In the evening, regular
 activities resume.  The Islam driven culture of Pakistan shapes everyday life.  Each day,
 all Muslims pray five times.  The first is before sunrise, the second around noon, the
 third in the late afternoon, the fourth immediately after sunset, and the fifth before
 retiring and before midnight.  They face the Kaaba, which is a small box in Mecca.  No
 matter where a Muslim is, he will pause, face the East, and pray when it is time. When
 Sohail lived in Pakistan, he lived in a house with his whole family.  As an adult, he lived
 with his parents and siblings as well as his wife and children.  The house was large enough
 to accommodate over fourteen people.  All the women stayed home to keep up the house and
 prepare meals.  If the women were to go to the market, they would completely cover
 themselves except for their eyes.  Women were not to be seen in public without covers. 
 Also, the wives wait for their husbands to come home before eating.  The Koran  approves of
 polygamy, allowing up to four wives.  If a Pakistani decides to marry a second wife, his
 first wife must approve of her.  Shah says polygamy is not very common in Pakistan.  A
 typical day in Pakistan for Shah was to wake up before sunrise and pray.  His wife would
 prepare breakfast for him before he left for work.  He would leave for his police work when
 an armored truck stopped at his house.  He was an officer in the police force before being
 promoted to the secret police. Shah rode around Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, in
 the truck with twelve other rifle carrying policemen the entire day. Although there is
 nearly zero crime in Pakistan, the threat of terrorism keeps the police busy. The crime
 situation is based on severe punishments such as amputation of a hand for stealing. In
 addition, the people of Pakistan have a very strong conscience.  People leave their homes
 and businesses unlocked while away. When Sohail returned home, his wife would have dinner
 already made for him and his entire family would eat when all the men returned from work. 
 While the men are away, the women take care of the children, bake bread, and make pottery
 or baskets to sell at the market.  His large family would then discuss different topics of
 interest before retiring.  I found that the funeral arrangements are somewhat strange. 
 First, women may go to the wake when a person dies but may not enter the cemetery.  When a
 person is buried, he or she is dressed in white and wrapped in a woven mat made of long
 leaves or blades of grass.  Then mat is then tied at each end which looks like a giant
 sausage when finished. A type of perfume is sprayed on the resulting package to keep the
 decomposing body's smell in check.  The Pakistanis do not embalm the deceased.  The body is
 then, if money allows, placed in a casket.  If the family can't afford a casket, the corpse
 is buried in the grass mat.  The financial status of the body's family also affects the
 depth of the hole the body will placed in.  Some people are buried on level ground with a
 concrete slab constructed around them, some are six feet down. I believe Pakistan has very
 good points in their culture.  I enjoy hearing of the nearly nil crime rate.  After seeing
 Houston's crime rate rise year after year, it would be nice to live in a society free of
 crime.  I also like the idea that the family is very close. I don't know if my entire
 family could live under one roof, though.  During the holidays, tensions build when my
 whole family is together(grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins).  The situation of the
 wife staying home to keep up the home, prepare meals and take care of children is a
 positive characteristic.  When my parents were young, their mothers stayed home to do the
 same tasks.  I believe if the economy in the U.S. improved, the mothers would stay home, if
 they were still married.  The way of conducting funerals is sort of peculiar.  Wrapping the
 body in a grass mat that is tied shut at the ends is bizarre by my standards. I would
 prefer the casket approach to funerals.  My feelings towards the Pakistani culture could be
 defined as xenocentric.  I feel that the United Stated was once family focused and crime
 free.  I would like to live in a culture such as Pakistan's but without such extreme
 religious influence.  I do not agree that women should be covered up in public or that they
 are not allowed into cemeteries.   For Pakistan to be my ideal culture, it would have
 somewhat the same norms but freedom of religion and equality for women. 

