Pakistani imam’s daughter becomes fastest female athlete

Dubai: Appreciation poured in on social media for the heartwarming tale of Pakistani gold medalist Sahib-e-Asra and her father, a local imam, who appear to have broken stereotypes.

Asra who hails from the city of Faisalabad is one of Pakistan’s up-and-coming sports stars. In November, 2018 she won the gold at the National Athletics Championship.

What many are surprised to know, and excited about, is that she is the daughter of a local imam, a religious leader at a mosque.

In an interview to the Pakistani non-profit Sujag, which was posted on the organisations Facebook page on Tuesday, Qari Alam Khan, Asra’s father, said that he supported her from the onset of her sporting career, shattering the notion that members of the clergy oppose women in physically intensive fields.

Social media users were pleasantly surprised by the story and expressed their appreciation for the father-daughter duo. Some also expressed their optimism about societal progress.

The video has been widely shared on other social media channels as well.

Twitter user @ZiauddinY posted: “Qari Alam Khan is a great father. He did not clip the wings of his wonderful daughter. He is a role model and Sahib-e-Asra is an incredible inspiration for girls in Pakistan and around the world...”

Tweep @MalikRamzanIsra wrote: “Sahib-e-Asra is not just killing competition but also killing stereotypes. She is Pakistan’s fastest female athlete and also happens to be the daughter of an imam.”

Social media user @VilakhanChatha tweeted: “Brighter side of our society! Such things make me believe it is evolving nicely...”

Social media user @HamidMirPAK wrote: “A prayer leader who broke the myth that daughters of religious parents cannot run fast. A salute to Qari Alam Khan who encouraged his daughter despite opposition from many. And now she is the fastest woman of Pakistan.”

Against the odds

Despite Asra’s success, both father and daughter faced a great deal of opposition along their journey. In the video, Asra can be seen talking about how neighbours and relatives often dissuaded the duo from what they considered an inappropriate field for women. Her father has maintained in all of his media interviews, however, that his pride and belief in his daughter’s ability never wavered.

Despite the strong will, they do face some practical challenges. Both Asra and Alam Khan were vocal about the poor sports training facilities in Pakistan and the lack of government support, with Asra calling sports infrastructure in the country not at par with neighbouring countries like India or Bangladesh.