Growing up in a conservative Pakistani society meant being exposed to “whitening creams” such as Fair and Lovely and hearing women in society express the desire to have a “fairer” skin tone. This type of sentiment was expressed frequently around young impressionable girls, and girls who had more melanin were considered to be “untrustworthy.” Many girls in elementary school would rigorously scrub their skin to rid themselves of their dark complexion because they believed that it would affect their reputation and their eligibility to find good partners in marriage – another troubling trend common in Pakistani society. Mothers would start treating their babies’ skin if they noticed their newborn baby had a darker skin tone.
Colourism is defined as a form of discrimination based on skin tone within same-race individuals. In Pakistani society, colourism is related to the British reign from 1858 to 1947 and colonialism. Many Pakistani citizens equated fair skin with the colonizers, who ruled with luxury and had well-paying jobs. In contrast, the rest of the darker-skinned Pakistanis and Indians were treated very poorly. This is also related to the caste system in India, where individuals of a darker skin tone were considered “untouchables.” However, colourism is not just unique to Pakistan, but is common in South Asian countries and even Arab communities. For instance, in Egyptian culture, “Uncle Abdu” is a stereotypical epithet for an Egyptian elderly dark-skinned doorman. People are told not to tan too much to avoid becoming Uncle Abdu.
Islam is practiced in many of these communities and forbids any hierarchy and racial superiority. No one should be discriminated against based on their skin colour or made to feel inferior. Unfortunately, this type of mindset persists today in these communities. This type of mindset is also harmful because it leads to further discrimination and bigotry in the workplace, in other social settings, and even in families. Ironically, many people from these Muslim communities post about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, yet forget to look inward, check their privilege, and even their own biases.
The solution is to target the messages that are being broadcasted through advertisements for whitening creams (in these communities) and talking about lighter skin tones in social settings. Girls (and even impressionable boys) should be told that melanin does not determine their success and is beautiful – they do NOT need a lighter skin tone to thrive. Changing the message that these impressionable youths receive would promote self-love, boost self-esteem, and prevent discrimination. The time to act is now. This has been the trend for many generations, but to prevent this from affecting more children in these Muslim societies, we must all do our part to inform and advocate.