Any instance of Muslim women wearing relatively moderate outfits hurts many Pakistani men, particularly an icon who is wife of acclaimed Islamic war hero (even if it is a drama)
Male Social Media users from Pakistan chant Astaghfirullah as they see the actress without hijab
Astaghfirullah why Pakistani men now hate Ertugrul’s Halima Sultan. A discussion comes up on how she should dress in her real life.
Ertugurl is a famous Turkish drama. It glorifies the famous hero of Islamic history. The show is based on the history of Muslim Oghuz Turks and takes place in the 13th century. It centers around the life of Ertugrul, who was the father of Osman-I. He was the founder of Ottoman Empire.
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Esra Milgic is the lead actress in the serial. She is wife of Ertugrul and the mother of Gündüz Alp, Savci Bey and Osman Gazi I, founder of the Ottoman Empire. Further, Esra is the daughter of Shahzade Numan, a member of the royal family and niece to Sultan Alaeddin. She became the headmistress of the Kayı tribe after Ertuğrul became the leader of the Kayı. The actress fought against many enemies along with her husband. She is also very loyal to her husband and his cause. Moreover, she was very valiant and often fought along with her family in order to protect her tribe. She dies shortly after giving birth to Osman.
Who is Esra Bilgic
Esra Bilgic is a Turkish actress and model. Born on 14 October 1992, the 27 year old model portrays as Halima Hatun in the historical adventure television series Ertugrul.
Esra Bilgiç began dating a professional Turkish footballer Gokhan Tore in 2014. The couple got married on 21 October 2017 and divorced on 17 June 2019. She studied the subject of “International Relations” at Bilkent International University, Istanbul, and is currently studying law at İstanbul Şehir University.
The Controversy
As Esra covers her body in full body dress in the drama, it is hard for Pakistani men to accept her in a western outfit. She plays role of wife of an Islamic warrior and thus, there is an impression for these men about the 12th century dresses for women.
Here is her Insta profile: https://www.instagram.com/esbilgic/?hl=en
Yet, they do not realize that this is the 21st century. The entire lifestyle has changed. And people love to post their pictures on Instagram too. So did Esra. She put her picture on Instagram which shows some skin. And this hurts many men in Pakistan. The picture she post is following:
A series of comments start pouring in as she puts up this picture. The social media users start to show disbelief how their favorite star could put such an image. One user posts a long note. “Where is Halima Sultan I saw yesterday night when Tangut caught her,” he adds. He also recommends that she should take u-turn and take hijab.
Other users were also in disbelief. A user asks if her religion was Islam? Another user prays that may Allah change her inner soul.
Well, whatever. But Esra has difinitely hurt many Pakistani men. They were viewing her as one of the great Muslim warriors who would wear hijab in real life also.
