Birth of a (Muslim) Nation

An iconic film reveals the antisemitism of Pakistani progressives

17 October 2019
Zerqa’s iconic poster immortalised its protagonist’s eroticised body in pain, oppressed in chains of bondage.
Courtesy Omar Khan
Zerqa’s iconic poster immortalised its protagonist’s eroticised body in pain, oppressed in chains of bondage.
Courtesy Omar Khan

Tu keh nawaqif-e-adab-e-shahinshahi hai abhi,
Raqs zanjeer pehan kar bhi kiya jata hai.

(You, who know not the ways of imperialism,
You dance, even in chains.)

The revolutionary poet Habib Jalib penned these stirring lines for Neelo, a Pakistani actress coerced into dancing for the Shah of Iran during a state visit in 1965. Neelo is said to have fainted from distress before the performance and been rushed to the hospital.

Ali Nobil Ahmad is a research fellow at the Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin.

Keywords: Pakistani cinema Israel Palestinians Imran Khan
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