The death of a modern-day feminist

After the July 15 sensational and outrageous murder of Qandeel Baloch, a model and social media star, the Pakistani lawmakers, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,  have finally stated that there is no honour in "honour killings." Qandeel was only 26-years-old. Her younger brother Waseem Azeem has confessed to killing her over her refusal to stop uploading provocative and risqué photos and raunchy videos on Facebook and Instagram. While she was visiting her family in Multan during this past Eid holidays, Waseem at first drugged her and then strangled her to death while she was asleep for bringing "dishonour" to family. Next morning, her mother found her dead body in her room covered under a white sheet.
The "honour killings" in Pakistan are laced with indignity; violence and horrific deaths when a woman fails to follow family traditions. Women die at the hands of those who are supposed to love and honour them. In Pakistan, 233 women and girls were killed this year in honour-related violence, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
Most suspects in "honour" killings are not prosecuted as there are laws that allow family members to resolve it within families where a perpetrator can be "forgiven" for killing over honour. The powerful Pakistani religious body, which advises the government, has always found some loopholes in the legislation as being in conflict with the Qur'an.
This past February, a Pakistani documentary filmmaker named Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an Oscar for her film Saving Face about a failed attempt at an "honour killing." The announcement supposedly had moved Nawaz Sharif and he told that the long-standing legislation against "honour killings" would be passed. Until Qandeel's murder no progress was made. The anti-honour killing bill is due to go before a parliamentary committee in the coming weeks. Mr. Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, was instrumental in putting pressure on the government.
Because of Qandeel's public profile, her death got international attention. From the newly-elected British Prime Minister to the Headmaster of the Presbyterian School where I am teaching this summer is talking about this reprehensible form of extremism.
Since August 2015, Qandeel's racy videos and photos were interpreted as defiance as she was challenging the traditions on the roles of women in Pakistani culture. Baloch refused to live by a culture that defines women by the male members in their lives. In the post-internet era, Qandeel posted some outrageous photos. Was it so dishonourable, that she had to die? I have seen some of the photos. Her many photos suggest that she was very much at ease with her sexuality. In western countries such pictures will not spark debate. But in a traditional society, women are expected to refrain from using their bodies to express any kind of sexuality. It is not clear if her intentions were to solicit a reaction or just to tease men. Most likely, she wanted to change the orthodox mindset which does not believe that women should be outspoken and independent. Qandeel was lambasted for posting those inflammatory images as there are more negative consequences than positive in a place like Pakistan. Her each post garnered more than 70,000 "likes" and she had 123,000 Instagram followers.
The ordinary life of Qandeel Baloch became extraordinary after she became a social media celebrity. In a largely conservative Pakistan, she appeared on television shows wearing revealing clothes to talk about women empowerment, equality and women's rights. Last month, she provoked controversy after posing for selfies with a high-profile cleric named Mufti Abdul Qavi. He was sternly rebuked by the country's religious affairs ministry. Some of the photos exposed him on unmasking his piety in a hotel room where he met her in person. In one video, she was seen sitting on his lap and in another photo she was wearing his traditional lamb's wool cap. Thus, the private perversion of a religious figure became very public. The photos shocked, repulsed and angered many including Waseem who found those to be "intolerable."
After her murder, Quandeel's life story began to unfold. Many subcontinental movies have such story lines. She was forced into an early marriage, and left that marriage after two years, as there were allegations of domestic abuse. With her good looks as her best asset and her independent spirit to guide her, she left rural Multan and came to Karachi to make something of herself. Once she got settled in the city, her story took new twists and turns when she took to the social media. She began posting her photos and videos that went viral. She felt empowered as her fan base grew. With each post she became bolder and put up more stimulating photos of her.
With time Qandeel had learned how to defy tradition by calling herself a "free agent." Cyber world gave her that freedom to step out of her shadow. Though her posts have gained huge acceptance on social media, nonetheless, are causing debate over what is appropriate and what is not.
Many are asking what Qandeel was really up to. Was she merely teasing men or there were more to her than meets the eye? The debate ranges over whether a woman's virtual community is a utopia or dystopia. Or, by venturing into the virtual world, can a woman create her own unique space which is culturally constructed as a male domain?
Baloch wanted to break away from the traditional life of a Muslim woman and looked for an escape from societal taboos. The virtual world offered her an alternative and it became her refuge. In cyberspace, a woman can be anyone she wants to be and she affirmed her individuality in the form of posting photos for others to view. She became confident with herself when encountering these new technologies that were within her grab. She made her glamorous and sensual pictures available to unknown men and they could look at her on their computer and mobile phone screens whenever they wanted.
Normally, vulnerable women in Pakistan would not consider her method no matter how much they suffer in a patriarchal society for fear of harassment, name labelling or worse.
Qandeel didn't care if people called her "loose." In an interview, her mother vouched for her that she was innocent in her playfulness and only wanted to teach those sanctimonious men a lesson that treats modern women with contempt. Her acts exposed the vile and lascivious nature of many men in a society where they get away with lude acts whereas women are criticised for the slightest imperfection. In case of bad marriages, rape and incest, a woman is always to blame and they are discouraged to speak up about such things. She wanted to handle patronising men for denying women equality and independence in ways that others didn't dare.
Gradually, a deeply conservative Pakistan is changing and Qandeel represented that change by posting her images, sexy or otherwise. Her message to men was loud and clear: a woman is not a man's property. Society is changing and men cannot really control women the way they are used to. She saw that there is a need for change of social attitude. She wanted to show that female empowerment is coming to Pakistan. However, any kind of change in women's behaviour makes the conservative establishments feel threatened and they fear that they will lose control over women. Therefore, many found her provocativeness highly offensive and she was condemned by the religious sects and traditionalists.
Benazir Jatoi, who works with the Aurat Foundation, an NGO in Pakistan and working on women's legal and political empowerment, added: "Many in Pakistan have laid blame for her death on her bold and provocative public acts, but for me her lifestyle was irrelevant."
Qandeel Baloch, popularly known as the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan, got the first taste of independence from her ability to walk away from an unhappy marriage. Consequently, she wanted to show that a girl's life doesn't end after a divorce as there is a whole new world out there to explore. By that message, she gave many thousands of divorced women hope and encouragement to take charge of their lives and to live on their terms.
With her girl power, she was determined to expose the true nature of a section of society which wouldn't hesitate for a moment to issue a fatwa (religious ruling) against her. They would forbid all young women not to set foot on the path of the "wicked" Qandeel to tempt men. They would preach a sermon that only way to be a good woman is to be righteous and follow the rules that were set up for them.
Beyond her sexy makeover; fearless Qandeel was uncovering the hypocrisy and lechery of an Islamic cleric who was considered a holier than thou figure. The controversial photos revealed that behind closed doors middle-aged Mufti Abdul Qavi drooled over a vibrant young woman, young enough to be his daughter.
"Qandeel was an extremely astute individual who knew that what she was doing was more than being the most loved bad girl of Pakistan," columnist and activist Aisha Sarawari of Pakistan said. She added: "[Her killing] defines yet another setback for the women of our generation. This makes it harder for women. Period."
Qandeel Baloch was a free spirit and was resolute in the face of controversy. With her outspoken posts on the internet, she knew she was defying tradition and challenging male dominance over what women can and cannot do. She mocked the Pakistani establishment, male supremacy and the duplicity of a religious figure. She has put a face to the countless ordinary Pakistani women who are killed in the name of so-called family honour because society has given a free rein to the male members of their families. She is gone now but will remain unforgotten and undefeated.
[email protected]