Pakistan social media star Baloch killed 'by brother' in suspected honor killing

A Pakistani social media celebrity whose selfies polarised the deeply conservative Muslim country has been murdered by her brother in a suspected honour killing, officials said Saturday, prompting shock and revulsion.

Qandeel Baloch, praised by many of the country's youth for her willingness to break social taboos but condemned by conservatives, was strangled near the city of Multan, police said.

"Qandeel Baloch has been killed, she was strangled to death by her brother. Apparently it was an incident of honour killing," Sultan Azam, senior police officer in Multan, told AFP.

Baloch, believed to be in her twenties and whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, had travelled with her family to Muzzafarabad village in central Punjab province for the recent Eid holiday.

She was killed there Friday, police said, adding that the brother, Wasim, was now on the run.

here

Terrible. Disgusting. Honor killings are another dirty aspect some in the Islamic world engage in and they're quite common in Afghanistan, as are acid attacks as the article alludes to.

I'm not sure what the solution here is when part of an ideology is to treat women this way. It's a human rights issue, it's a women's rights issue. I also find it shameful that with the movement for women's rights in the West, things like honor killings within Islam are largely ignored. But that's just me.

You'd expect an uproar from the feminist community over this type of thing but I've never really seen them even acknowledge it.

a reply to: MysticPearl

Worshiping a tribal moon god of death, much older than Islam's founder . . .

has consequences.

And her brother will get away with it... He'll be pardoned. According to what I read this morning There was a bill in the Pakistan parliament to outlaw honor killings that failed to pass.

Absolutely disgusting

double post

double post

That's a "moderate and progressive" muslim country for you.

a reply to: Deny Arrogance

Part of that moderate culture is also something as sick as bacha bazi.

Beyond twisted.

a reply to: MysticPearl

Honour killings, just one more thing the world has to take on board. Alongside government sanctioned child marriages this is the absolute damnification of modern day, pre-reformation Islam.

The moderate muslims may not do the killing but they sure look the other way if not actually being supportive.

a reply to: Domo1

Sometimes taking a passive posture is to make sure they don't become the victims too.

This the part of Islam and Sharia that people doesn't understand, when males have power over the females in a male dominated society and can be judges and executioners, because their laws allow that.

a reply to: marg6043

I agree with this. Islam needs a calming influence, and women are...hold on, women???

a reply to: Jonjonj

Yes, its sad when women are relegated as been seen but never hear, but it was a time when the motto in western countries was keep women barefooted and pregnat.

originally posted by: MysticPearl
a reply to: Deny Arrogance

Part of that moderate culture is also something as sick as bacha bazi.

Beyond twisted.

Uhhhhh . . . beyond twisted . . . = literally demonized.

Seriously.

The founder initially concluded that it was demons that were instructing him in the founding of his new religion--morphing it from the tribal moon-god religion common in those parts back then. His family, eager to get part of the expected spoils, convinced him otherwise.

Demons major in death as their avocation, job, past time, hobby, calling, . . . compulsion.

originally posted by: MysticPearl

You'd expect an uproar from the feminist community over this type of thing but I've never really seen them even acknowledge it.

They have acknowledged it. I just looked at the comments section on "Jezebel", and the response is as such:

"I hate men"

"F*ck the patriarchy"

And some assorted babbling about Christians.