Where does one begin from? If condemnation is the appropriate response then isn’t it condemnable that we, as a nation, still have to tell a large part of our population that taking up arms against women, minorities and the marginalised is unacceptable under any circumstances.
InstepComment
Internet sensation Qandeel Baloch murdered by her brother in Multan.
Where does one begin from? If condemnation is the appropriate response then isn’t it condemnable that we, as a nation, still have to tell a large part of our population that taking up arms against women, minorities and the marginalised is unacceptable under any circumstances. If there is something to condemn, it is not Qandeel Baloch’s murder – that is a crime and no amount of supposed duress can mitigate the wrong-fullness of the act. If there is something to condemn is our national discourse and our inability take social terrorists to task.
Baloch was no saint, no shining beacon of humanity but she was a bright, bold, intelligent woman whose light was snuffed out due to our small mindedness. You could stand on any end of the spectrum, whether it was judgemental, supportive or simply disinterested in her shenanigans but at no point should your stance on how Baloch chose to live her short life find footing to justify violence against her. If her voyeuristic ways were antagonising it was because she revealed the inherent hypocrisy in our society.
The internet sensation understood the inherent dichotomy in her following; they would dog her every move while still maintain a moral high ground. This is a meme Baloch has used as a banner on her Facebook page.
As a country we obsessively followed her; the huge number of likes amassed on her Facebook page are testament to our double standards. We wanted the updates, we wanted the titillation, the free entertainment but we also chose to view all the content she put and snicker behind our screens. The number of views on each of her videos and the ensuing comments paint a picture of a conflicted society.
What was it about her that made her such a divisive figure? She wasn’t the only one who resorted to extreme tactics for attention. Take a look at our national television during Ramazan and you’ll probably find more antics that were simply enacted for shock value. Men, women, reporters and game show hosts are given a national platform and can pull any manner of stunts and not have their credibility or reputation tarnished beyond a few memes on the liberal echo chamber that is the Pakistani internet.
These ‘entertainers’ are offered primetime slots and are applauded – is telling of the arbitrary value we ascribe to different individuals depending on their gender and social standing.
Intrepid, irreverent and self confident to the core, Baloch probably rankled a lot of people because of how comfortable she was in her own skin.
It couldn’t just have been that for some Baloch’s actions were vulgar or opposing our religious values; it had more to do with the fact that she refused to play by the rules. Baloch wouldn’t allow anything to bring her down or cloister her in; not her family background, not her past marriage or our vitriol filled rhetoric. She was going to live life on her terms and there is nothing that threatens us more than a person, slash, a woman who refuses to conform.
Our national narrative has been hijacked by supposed custodians of religion who seem to be entirely untouched by the spirit of Islam. We have effectively and collectively helped silence any alternative or progressive discourse in the country because any opposing narrative will draw attention to the shoddy, intolerant mindset peddled by those in power and positions of authority. Qandeel Baloch’s death is a loss, not because she was a great artist but simply because she dared to stand up and defy our norms. And our norms certainly are unsettling.
