Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 335
! ! 335 These days, it has become fashionable in our country to attain a higher education and obtain a d egree. I believe that today’s parents long for their daughters to attain a higher education even more than A lexander or Timur yearned to conquer other nations. Co pying and following English society has become a fashion , which has developed into a craze. In our country, more girls are obtaining degrees in an effort to mimic other countries, which has also become a fad. Initially, the trend was to be ignorant and now the trend is to obtain this type of education, alth ough this is also a form of ignorance. Oth er nations regard the English as fanatical for seeking knowledge. T hese nations are wrong. The English do not learn to rid themselves of ignorance, but rather they acquire knowledge which is necessary and useful for th e country. Perhaps o ur country is mimicking the British method of learning, but to its own detriment. Chaud h ry Zafrullah Khan ra just related to us the story of a man, who sent hi s son to a college in Europe to attain a higher educati on on the condition that he would have to support himself while attaining his degree, for the father could not afford to do so. Thus, this was a good example, for his money was not waste d and the boy was taught to rely on his own ability. The se days, women are developing an eagerness to attain a degree. They believe that un less they attain an educational degree , they will not be considered sophisticated. T his is a sign of their ignorance. I plan to advise the ladies of our community to gain knowledge , while also guiding them on how much and what type of education they should obtain. God Almighty has blessed every human being with one favor or another. Some are blessed with a good voice, whereas others write well. No doubt , writing is an excellent skill. A person can imp act others through [writing] from thousands of miles away and th is is one of the best ways to express oneself. I will give the ladies a simple example. In the beginning , sewing was done with a needle, but now sewing machines are used. The meaning of knowledge is to broaden your faculti es and obtain items of comfort to fulfill yo ur needs; to take advantage of good things