- A mosque in Islamabad has launched a campaign to eradicate the long-standing tradition of dowry in Pakistani society.
- The campaign aims to alleviate the financial burden and social pressure that dowry places on families.
- By challenging this tradition, the mosque hopes to empower women and families to reject dowry and promote positive change in society.
In a revolutionary initiative, a mosque in Islamabad has launched a powerful campaigned that aims to eliminate the deeply rooted age-old tradition of dowry that prevails in our society. The Islamabad Mosque’s ground-breaking campaign is challenging a societal ill that has often become a financial burden for majority of families in the country and put an unwanted social pressure on them. By taking this initiative heads on, the mosque is striving to foster positive change and empower women and families to reject this practice.
The Tradition of Dowry
Dowry is the practice whereby the bride’s family provides a large sum of money, gold, property and household items to the groom’s family for marriage. The tradition of Dowry is common in mainly Pakistan and India and as years pass by it has become a huge financial burden on families that have daughters. This tradition gives rise to many various prevailing societal ills in the country including the killing of the girl-child after birth. The girl-child is thought to be a burden for the parents in many families and are married off as soon as possible.
The practice of dowry places a financial strain on the bride’s family sometimes causing them to take out heavy loans and selling off their assets to fulfil the demands set by the groom’s side. In some cases when parents are unable to give everything demanded, the bride then faces the consequences after marriage which also leads to harassment and domestic violence.
Islamabad Mosque Changing Mindsets
Taking a bold step to challenge this ongoing societal norm, the Islamabad Mosque’s ‘No Dowry’ campaign has sent out a ripple of change and is creating awareness about the consequences of dowry. The mosque aims to educate people on why the rejection of dowry is necessary and how beneficial it would be to the entire society at large.
The campaign focuses on the teachings of Islam that emphasise social justice and the importance of love, compassion and respect in marriage instead of the possession of material items.
Federal Government Decides to Impose 15% Tax on Marriage Halls in Islamabad
The federal government has decided to impose a 15% tax on hotels, guesthouses, farmhouses, marriage halls, clubs and catering services within the city limits of Islamabad. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar proposed this tax as part of the Rs14 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2023–24. The news is already an added financial strain on families getting married this year, keeping this in mind the ‘No Dowry’ campaign is much needed in the city. 
The Change We Want to See All Over the Country!
The brilliant initiative taken by the mosque to end the age-old dowry tradition is a commendable one that seeks to challenge a practice that has ruled the sub-continent for centuries. By raising awareness and empowering people to reject the dowry system, we can only hope that this campaign will inspire other mosques and religious institution to join the cause and to finally end dowry system in Pakistan and across the sub-continent.
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