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1. Pakistani Social Media Star Strangled In Apparent ‘Honor’ Killing
Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch arrives for a press conference last month in Lahore, Pakistan. AFP/Getty Images
Qandeel Baloch, one of Pakistan’s most well known personalities, is the victim of an apparent “honor killing.” Her brother has admitted to strangling her to death because he disapproved of her social media presence.
“This is a widespread practice in Pakistan in which women accused of violating highly restrictive social rules are murdered with impunity by their male relatives,” NPR’s Philip Reeves reported. “So-called ‘honor killings’ frequently go unpunished in Pakistan, but the authorities say that won’t happen this time.”
According to Reeves, Baloch called herself a ‘”one woman army’ in a battle against the repression of women in Pakistan.”
Baloch’s brother Mohammed Waseem spoke after his arrest saying he had “no regrets about drugging and strangling his sister, whom he accused of dishonoring her family.”
[tweetthis]Qandell Baloch’s, one of Pakistan’s most well known personalities, is the victim of an honor killing.[/tweetthis]
2. Sunni Silence on Shi’a Persecution if Not Okay
MuslimGirl contributor Halema Wali writes about the climbing death tolls as the “Islamic State” continues to spread its un-Islamic ideology through violence and death.
“It is important to remember that targeting Karrada, a predominantly Shi’a neighborhood of Baghdad, aligns with Daesh’s ideology of vitriolic hatred for Shi’a Muslims,” Wali writes.
Wali goes on to talk about specific instances of violence and hatred that continue to plague Shi’a communities.
“It is a lack of distinction from the larger issue of Shi’a persecution, followed by the deafening silence in response to the recent attack in Balad, that foster a growing frustration within the Shi’a community,” Wali writes.
3. Why Now, More Than Ever, We Need A New Islamic Architecture
The Teaching Barn at the Farm of Peace, a small Sufi community located in Pennsylvania. Courtesy Jenine Kotob
Metropolis writer Jenine Kotob writes about the growing need for new Islamic architecture and how the development of healthy community spaces can help grow and strengthen communities.
“At a time when Muslims find themselves at the center of the nation’s political stage, the topic of Islamic architecture in the United States is more relevant than ever,” Kotob writes. “The American mosque has become a prominent symbol, within which identities, practices, and cultures converge. More often than not, this convergence results in conflicting goals, further resulting in mosques that fail to identify and serve the needs of their diverse constituents.”
4. Breaking The Mold: Artist’s Modern Miniatures Remix Islamic Art
Shahzia Sikander, pictured here, created the film Parallax (also pictured) to explore the layers of history and change that are remaking parts of the Middle East and South Asia.
Courtesy of Shahzia Sikander
Shahzia Sikander, one of the contemporary art world’s most celebrated stars, has done everything from projecting her hypnotic videos onto Time Square billboards to art exhibitions at major museums across the world.
The Pakistani-born artist, who was recognized by the MacArthur Foundation as a “genius” fellow in 2006, says art has been a “ticket to life” but what makes her work so different from other contemporary artists is her training in a centuries-old handmade form of Islamic art — the bejeweled world of Indo-Persian miniature paintings.
[tweetthis]Pakastani-born artist Shahzia Sikander separates herself from others with her skill and training in Indo-Persian miniature paintings.[/tweetthis]
5. Pokémon Go Gets Political in Palestine
Pikachu in the besieged rubble of Gaza, a victim of Israeli aggression and collective punishment. @nawajaa via Twitter
As Pokémon Go continues to sweep across the world, Palestinians are using the game to talk about something more political: the Israeli occupation.
Because most Palestinians are forbidden from entering the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, players are using the game to show how limited their access is to certain geographic locations.
Recently a tweet went viral, as it showed a dead Pikachu surfacing from debris from a house destroyed during the war with Israel.
Several other images modeled after the one with Pikachu are making their way across various social media platforms.
[tweetthis]Pokémon Go gets political as Palestinians use it to show how limited their access is to certain geographic locations.[/tweetthis]
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This list was curated by Kaitlin Montgomery, altM News Editor
