This doesn't surprise me. Today Muslim women have to prove their authenticity. The way we dress, the way we choose to practise our faith, our leadership and our daring to be different – all this is under attack by those who want to tell us how to be Muslim according to their interpretations, warped as they may be.

I'm especially concerned about my homeland Pakistan, where radicalism and fanaticism are on the rise. With men having such easy access to weapons, women's lives are in danger. On Feb. 20, Social Welfare Minister Zile Huma Usman, a 37-year-old mother of two, was shot and killed in broad daylight in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Her killer, who had a track record of killing other women, said he was waging a war against "anti-Islamic forces" and "immoral women." He didn't believe that women should be ministers and considered Usman's Pakistani dress and covered head were not "authentic Islamic dress."

Most of us are in shock at the attack, but more so at the Pakistani law enforcement agencies and leaders who act as though nothing has happened. Earlier, when Mukhtara Mai was gang raped, one leader is reported to have insinuated that women use rape as a means to get visas to go abroad.

Atiya Ahsan, a member of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women who had met Usman, is appalled and disturbed by the turn of events against women. "Unfortunately, Muslim governments, mullahs and influential ignorant community members have allowed seriously erroneous views to be treated as valid and acceptable in the last 20 years," she says. "... we have reason to be both disgusted and fearful of things getting worse if unchecked."

The "erroneous view" is the idea that a Muslim woman's authenticity is now determined by her way of dress or a head covering. The hijab, which is a symbol of our faith, has become a political tool that is used against women who choose not to wear one. The danger in Pakistan is that illiterate zealots physically harm women who don't appear as "good Muslims."

This ideology is fanned by the wave of "Arabization" that has invaded my homeland. Pakistani women have adopted Arab-style clothing and Arab names. Some even say that unless you speak Arabic, you can't be a good Muslim. Hello? Where does this leave the majority of Muslims in the world who are non-Arabs?

In case Canadians are feeling complacent on this issue, they shouldn't be. We have recently seen the town council in Herouxville, Que., try to tell Muslim women the veil is unacceptable, except on Halloween. And less than two weeks ago a Quebec soccer referee ejected an 11-year-old girl from a game for wearing hijab, even though other referees had no problem with it.

It's sad that we spend valuable time and resources debating dress codes when there are more urgent issues facing Muslim women. Among these are a deficit of freedom, a deficit of women's empowerment and a deficit of education.

Ironically, the very faith that came as a saviour for women 1,400 years ago, giving women rights to voting and inheritance and putting a stop to female infanticide, is being used to bar women today from progress, leadership and education. It's as though women are being buried alive again – into a deep, dark pit of ignorance so they can't reclaim their God-given rights.