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Culture In Pakistan Culture : My Family, And Pakistani Culture

Decent Essays

My family and I are immigrants from Pakistan. Even though I assimilated into American culture, in our house Pakistani tradition/culture prevails. We speak Urdu in the house, eat the food, wear the traditional clothing, listen to Pakistani folk music; and in the mix of the traditions are Islamic influences. What is so unique about this culture is that religion has been integrated into it, and the traditions I carry out, I consider normal. For example the food, Pakistani cuisine has a wide variety but there is a certain way the food should be prepared, more specifically the meat. Pork or pork products are not used in cooking, in Islam pigs are considered an unclean animal, thus forbidden. It is preferable to use alternatives such as goat, cow or chicken, but there is a certain way the animal should be slaughtered. Another example where religion is present in culture is the music. There is a special type of music called ‘Quawwil,’ (equivalent to Christian Gospel music), where a group of musicians come together and sing about Allah/God, the prophets, notably pious figures, or teachings. The language these tunes are usually sung in is Urdu with Arabic and is a common genre of music in Pakistani culture.
Since Islam is infused with Pakistani culture, it is assumed in my house hold to follow the teachings of Islam and Qur’an. Those teachings include the Five Pillars (Fasting, Praying, Hajj, Charity, and Faith). This is considered a way of life for us and what I grew up with since I

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