Saheefa Jabbar Khattak, a preferred model-turned-actor, has discovered herself on the heart of controversy after publicly shaming her home assist, Musarrat, over how she spent charity cash given to her.
The Instagram publish, which detailed Musarrat’s spending of Rs50,000 in simply two days on Eid garments and a bicycle for her youngsters, has been criticized as tone-deaf and invasive.
As a substitute of merely addressing her issues privately, Khattak aired her grievances on-line, drawing widespread backlash for her patronizing tone and public humiliation of Musarrat.
Within the Instagram publish, Khattak expressed her frustration, writing, “It hurts to see that if you attempt to assist people who find themselves underprivileged, they find yourself losing cash.”
She went on to listing what she would have purchased with the cash, claiming that she would have made “higher” decisions, similar to thrift buying or shopping for stitched materials from Liberty Market.
What caught the eye of many was not simply her criticism of Musarrat’s spending, however the deeply private and intrusive particulars Khattak shared about her home assist’s life. She painted a pitiful image of Musarrat’s residence, describing the leaky roof and lack of privateness within the toilet, all with out Musarrat’s consent.
This sparked outrage amongst social media customers, who accused Khattak of treating her home assist as a topic for public consumption moderately than respecting her dignity. One consumer wrote, “writing an essay on Instagram shaming an uneducated lady in a language that she can not even learn, to tens of millions of individuals, BY NAME.”
As a substitute of apologizing for her publish, Khattak doubled down, defending her actions in prolonged remark replies. She acknowledged, “If I take you to her home, every part she owns is given to her by me,” which many discovered ironic given her earlier criticism of Musarrat’s spending.
She additional went on to listing the quite a few favors she had performed for Musarrat over time, together with giving her toys, sweets, PR packages, and garments from her shoots.
This transfer solely appeared to deepen the tone-deaf nature of the publish, because it shifted the main focus away from Musarrat’s private battle and positioned the highlight on Khattak’s self-proclaimed generosity.
Social media customers discovered this method weird, questioning why Khattak was counting all of the “favours” she had performed for Musarrat, as a substitute of acknowledging her home assist’s wants as her personal accountability.
The critique turned in the direction of the performative nature of Khattak’s publish, with many mentioning that true charity mustn’t include strings hooked up or public judgment. If Khattak actually seen Musarrat as a sister, as she claims, why wasn’t this dialog held privately as a substitute of in a public discussion board?
In her publish Saheefa states, “I simply do not undertsand. I really feel like overconsumption has develop into such a cultural norm.” Sure…overconsumption is an issue nevertheless it makes completely no sense to speak about overconsumption a couple of group of poeple who do not even have their fundamental wants coated.
A commenter rightfully referred to as her out on this. “Possibly cease selling overconsumption by being in adverts of those insanely priced garments for Eid and different events.”
Khattak’s follow-up Instagram publish continued to defend her place, asserting her perception in monetary accountability.
She additionally took goal at different celebrities and influencers, accusing them of hypocrisy for residing lavish existence whereas claiming to boost funds for the underprivileged.
Whereas the problem of celeb charity tradition is undeniably an necessary one, Khattak’s dealing with of the scenario raised necessary questions in regards to the ethics of charity and whether or not it’s ever actually altruistic when it comes with surveillance, micromanagement, and public shaming.
In a deeply classist society, charity can develop into entangled with a way of entitlement and management over the lives of the much less lucky. Folks generally start to consider that just because they’ve donated cash, they all of a sudden have a proper to dictate how those that obtain charity ought to stay their lives.
“You aren’t getting to guage how folks spend their cash.”
Folks have been confused about her disappointment and moderately mentioned she ought to be blissful that Musarrat simply needed to make Eid particular for her household.
This flawed view usually results in the phantasm of generosity with none actual understanding of the struggles confronted by the underprivileged.
Saheefa Khattak’s Instagram rant, whereas probably well-intentioned, fails to know this nuance and serves as a stark reminder of the significance of empathy in charitable acts.
If she actually cares about Musarrat’s well-being, why didn’t she take the time to talk to her straight and perceive her wants as a substitute of turning the scenario right into a public spectacle?
The performative nature of her actions begs the query: can we actually declare to be charitable if our actions are rooted in judgment, surveillance, and an inherent perception that we all know what’s greatest for others?
The lesson to be taken from this controversy is straightforward: charity will not be about showcasing your “generosity” or utilizing your assist as a way to show your individual advantage. It’s about providing help with respect, empathy, and understanding, with out strings hooked up.
In case you are actually invested in serving to others, allow them to make their very own decisions and respect their autonomy.
Charity is greatest when it’s quiet, private, and freed from judgment!