A petition was submitted to the Islamabad High Court this Wednesday, seeking to ban the celebration of Black Friday in Pakistan.
Abdul Waheed is the mover of the petition against Black Friday
He believes that festivities such as Black Friday are against Islamic beliefs and should be stopped.
November 24 this year is going to be celebrated all over Pakistan as Black Friday and many brands will be offering mega discounts to their customers. However, Waheed believes that the concept of Black Friday is foreign and highly un-Islamic.
To confirm this, he checked out the dictionary meaning of any Black day and found out that it symbolises a day on which something bad happens. It is seen as a bad omen, which is why he thinks that such a day should not be celebrated.
He said that the Holy Prophet of Allah (PBUH) especially mentioned how Friday is the head of all days and extremely liked by Allah, so no Friday can be called Black Friday.
Waheed believes that the government of Pakistan is under the influence of the secular lobby, which is why they are not against such activities. He believes that these activities are being adopted so that Pakistan can be more influenced by the West.
In his petition he has cited the chairman of PEMRA, secretary ministry of religious affairs, chief commissioner Islamabad, and chairman of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) as respondents. He wants them to take charge of the situation, stop the event’s ad campaigns, and stop public figures from participating in this event.
He is even against the song released by Daraz for their sale, claiming that it is immoral because boys and girls are dancing in it.
Internet, he claims, is being used to spread this indecency, through this song.
Okay so here’s what concerning about Mr. Abdul Waheed’s petition
The idea behind the Black Friday sale is just to provide customers an opportunity to buy stuff for lesser prices, and if that makes them happy; there isn’t anything wrong with it. To bring up religion in this is not fair. It is not meant to promote any propaganda, it is merely a strategy that companies thought that they should follow too.
This is especially true for online businesses. The introduction of sales like Black Friday has revolutionized the online economy and created an inflow of revenue.
Alibaba reported that sales from Singles’ Day amounted to $25.3 billion, a 40 percent jump from last year’s figures.
Black Friday in 2015 was reported to have broken all sale records ever in Pakistan with the biggest sale of the year. With record-breaking 1.5 million customers visiting the website and 55 times more orders than a regular shopping day, Daraz made history. The Co-CEO of the company even went on to add:
Reaching Rs 1 billion in sales on a single day is a milestone not only for Daraz, but for all of Pakistan. E-commerce is no longer a small part of the market but a cornerstone of the retail market. This year we focused on having a very large assortment of deals with deep inventory and a great shopping experience, so all our customers could get the products they had been dreaming of. I want to thank our sellers and our amazing team for making this possible.
– Bjarke Mikkelsen, Co-CEO Daraz Group
At the same time, customers have been disillusioned with the sales being offered, often calling them out on fake discounts and the frenzy over the term “Black Friday”
Things have become expensive on THE DAY !! weird . what i bought for 2699 is now for 2974, the tv that was 18k is now 20k ! Games of Black Friday in Pakistan
— UMAIRICA (@Umairmirza) November 24, 2017
Variations of #BlackFriday in #Pakistan thus far
– White Friday
– Blessed Friday
– Gold Friday
– Red Friday
– Big Friday
– Weekend Sale
– Winter Sale— Rimmel Mohydin (@Rimmel_Mohydin) November 24, 2017
Islam doesn't come in danger when Muslims are killed in Mosques during Jummah (Friday) Prayers, but it does come in danger when a commercially motivated "Black Friday Sale" is copied in Pakistan. Don't understand why Muslims like to devalue Islam so much.
— SabahatMS (@SabahatMS) November 24, 2017
With the e-commerce industry flourishing like this, it would not be beneficial to stop such sales – especially not for the economy.
However, the dates that are chosen is something the companies can reconsider. In the US, it happens the day after Thanksgiving and officially starts shopping season for Christmas. It has a significance attached with the idea. The same can be implemented in Pakistan. We have two Eids, and I am sure people would enjoy discounts around that time.
What do you think about Black Friday?