Will these 'pious' jeans convert Karachi?

LAHORE: Designed by an Italian company and named after the Arabic term for Jerusalem, Al Quds Jeans are baggy with a high waist to allow freedom of movement during the repeated kneeling for Islamic worship. They have extra large pockets for glasses, trinkets and prayer beads and also feature discreet green seams at the top of the belt loops, in honour of the faith's sacred colour.

Al Quds jeans are being made by a plant near Karachi which has so far produced more than 50,000 export quality pairs of the jeans. These jeans are not yet on sale in conservative Pakistan — where their 25-euro price tag is almost half the minimum monthly wage.

"It is quite ridiculous to introduce baggy jeans in the name of 'Muslim Jeans' just for commercial marketing and that to with a promotion campaign that claims the product to let the Muslims offer their prayers with more comfort and ease," says Azhar, 25, MBA graduate. "If it is comfort and ease that would come first to us before kneeling down before God, the ritual itself would lose all meanings," adds Salman, a bearded colleague accompanying Azhar. 

Susanna Cavalli, chief of product development for Al Quds Jeans, has been quoted in the foreign media as saying that the idea behind the product is not political, ideological or religious at all but is rather cultural. However, the fact remains that it doesn't mean much to the target audience in Pakistan "who would never trade their own patter of dressing up for a baggy pair of jeans especially when dressing style is not a matter of concern while offering namaz," says Asif Iqbal.

Representing the educated youth of Pakistan belonging to middle class families who have clear definitions of their particular pattern in life: they party, they study, they go on vacations, and they also, when it is convenient for them offer their namaz (prayers). "The youth from the elite stratum, belonging to the McDonald's culture are the most immediate consumers of garments like Tees and jeans and jackets and would never bother to go for the 'convenient jeans' because prayer rituals do not come in their books," says  Dr Aftab Hussain, a university professor.

In Pakistani culture, it is usual for the common man dressed in designer jeans to change his attire into a pure Pakistani one with shalwar qameez and even chappal before going to the mosque to offer his prayers. Moreover, young and old men offering namaz at work places have no problem in completing their religious rituals in trousers that they are wearing.

"Even if there are jeans that spell comfort, I cannot wear them to office with my business suit and shoes. I can buy twenty pairs of Al-Quds but it doesn't make a difference as I have to offer three of the five prayers at work," says Mahtab, shrugging off the idea of 'Muslim Jeans'.

There are many people in Pakistan who are quite indifferent to the fact that the Al-Quds jeans are being manufactured in Karachi in a million-euro factory that had been setup by an Italian firm.

"It must be good news for the people working there as they got employed, but thats all about it," says Asjad.