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Qandeel Baloch: A Social Revolutionary?

RiazHaq

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http://www.riazhaq.com/2016/07/qandeel-baloch-leading-social.html

Could Qandeel Baloch, also known as Pakistan's Kim Kardashian, even be imagined in conservative Pakistan just a few years ago? Doesn't the fact that she existed is in itself a sign of a social revolution sweeping Pakistan today?

Tragic honor killing of Pakistani social media phenomenon Qandeel Baloch by her own brother in the city of Multan in highly conservative Seraiki region has received global media coverage. It's being offered as yet another example to support their convenient narrative of unspeakable brutality against women in Muslim Pakistan.


Fauzia Azeem AKA Qandeel Baloch
Unanswered Questions:

What is missing from the news reports, op-ed pieces and editorials about these incidents, however, is any serious research and analysis to answer the following:

A. Why are such events happening with increasing frequency?

B. Is it because Pakistanis' sense of "honor" has suddenly become more acute?

C. Or, is it because Pakistani girls are defying old traditions in much larger numbers than ever before?

Going by Karachi-based architect and sociologist Arif Hasan's insight into Pakistani society, the answer is C. As he said in a 2015 interview with The News: "Media projects a lot of injustices against women, but they do not project the changes taking place, nor are they projecting the role models who are challenging these traditional barriers. Role models, too, are just individual cases, like Malala."

Enabling Environment:

What is the enabling environment for these social changes?

There are a number of enabling factors ranging from increasing rural-to-urban migration to greater access to education and technology and growing opportunities for communication and self-expression via the new social media like Facebook. Here are a few them:

1. Pakistani women and girls in rural areas and small towns are better educated than ever before. Since 2000, over twenty universities have been established in small towns of Pakistan where men and women from small towns and villages are enrolling and graduating.

2. Young men and women are questioning conservative traditional values with rapidly growing access to television, cell phones and social media.

3. Nearly a quarter of Pakistani females over the age of 10 now work, up from 14 percent a decade ago, according to government data. Women now hold 78 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly. Women now make up 4.6% of board members of Pakistani companies, a tad lower than the 4.7% average in emerging Asia, but higher than 1% in South Korea, 4.1% in India and Indonesia, and 4.2% in Malaysia, according to a February 2011 report on women in the boardrooms.

4. Court marriages that were rare just a decade ago have increased dramatically. Girls and boys are defying their parents by rejecting arranged marriages.

Causes of Violence Against Women:

Whether it was the bloody Civil War to abolish slavery in America or the Meiji Restoration that transformed feudal Japan into an industrial giant, history tells us that violent conflict has been an integral part of the process of social change. Pakistan, too, is experiencing a similar violent social revolution. It started well before the terrorist attacks of 911 and the subsequent US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. It has only intensified after these events.



The "peace of the dead" has ended with the continuing "eclipse of feudalism" in Pakistan. A significant part of the what the world media, politicians and pundits call terrorism is in fact an "unplanned revolution" in the words of a Pakistani sociologist, a revolution that could transform Pakistani society for the better in the long run.

Violence is being used by the defenders of a range of old feudal and tribal values in Pakistan. Some of the traditionalists are fighting to keep girls at home and out of schools and workplaces while others are insisting on continuing traditional arranged and sometimes forced marriages within their clans. Such violence is being met with brave defiance, particularly by the younger generation.


Sociologist Arif Hasan's Insights:

Media coverage of the attempt on Swat schoolgirl Malala Yosufzai's life by the Taliban has brought attention to what the tribal traditionalists see as a serious threat to their old feudal-tribal ways. In an October 2012 speech at a social scientists conference in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, Arif Hasan recalled what a village elder in Sindh told him about the reasons for the increase in honor killings. He said: “The young people, they’ve gone to the city, and they’ve done all the wrong things. The girls have learned how to read and write, they’ve gone to school, some of them have gone to university as well. They have no morals left, so this is bound to happen.”

When Hasan asked the village elder as to when will the honor killings stop? He replied: “The honor killings will stop when everyone becomes shameless, then it will end.” Then he added, “But I hope that I die before that day.” Hasan says "he was a man of the old, feudal rural culture, with its own pattern of behavior and way of thinking. He was part of it, and it was dying, so he wished to die with it."

There was a news story this morning about young Pakistanis engaging in Internet dating and marriages. In 1992, the applications for court marriages in Karachi amounted to about 10 or 15, mainly applications from couples who were seeking the protection of the court for wedlock without familial consent, according to Arif Hasan. By 2006, it increased to more than 250 applications for court marriages per day in Karachi. Significantly, more than half of the couples seeking court recognition of their betrothal came from rural areas of Sindh. This is yet another indication of how the entire feudal system and its values are in rapid collapse.

Rapid urbanization , rising economic mobility and media and telecom revolutions have been the key contributors to the process of social change in the country. New York Times' Sabrina Tavernise described the rise of Pakistan's middle class in a story from Pakistani town of Muzaffargarh in the following words:

For years, feudal lords reigned supreme, serving as the police, the judge and the political leader. Plantations had jails, and political seats were practically owned by families.

Instead of midwifing democracy, these aristocrats obstructed it, ignoring the needs of rural Pakistanis, half of whom are still landless and desperately poor more than 60 years after Pakistan became a state.

But changes began to erode the aristocrats’ power.
Cities sprouted, with jobs in construction and industry. Large-scale farms eclipsed old-fashioned plantations. Vast hereditary lands splintered among generations of sons, and many aristocratic families left the country for cities, living beyond their means off sales of their remaining lands. Mobile labor has also reduced dependence on aristocratic families.

In Punjab, the country’s most populous province, and its most economically advanced, the number of national lawmakers from feudal families shrank to 25 percent in 2008 from 42 percent in 1970, according to a count conducted by Mubashir Hassan, a former finance minister, and The New York Times.

“Feudals are a dying breed,” said S. Akbar Zaidi, a Karachi-based fellow with the Carnegie Foundation. “They have no power outside the walls of their castles.”



As early as 1998 when the last census was held, researcher Reza Ali found that Pakistan was almost half urban and half rural, using a more useful definitions of ‘urban’, and not the outdated definition of the Census Organization which excludes the huge informal settlements in the peri-urban areas of the cities which are very often not part of the metropolitan areas.

A 2012 study of 22 nations conducted by Prof Miles Corak for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that upward economic mobility to be greater in Pakistan than the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, China and 5 other countries. The study's findings were presented by the author in testimony to the US Senate Finance Committee on July 6, 2012.

Pakistan's media and telecom revolution that began during the Musharaf years is continuing unabated. In addition to financial services, the two key service sectors with explosive growth in last decade (1999-2009) in Pakistan include media and telecom, both of which have helped create jobs and empowered women. The current media revolution sweeping the nation began ten years ago when Pakistan had just one television channel, according to the UK's Prospect Magazine. Today it has over 100. Pakistan is among the five most dynamic economies of developing Asia in terms of increased penetration of mobile phones, internet and broadband, according to the Information Economy Report, 2009 published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). Among the five countries in terms of mobile penetration in South Asia, Pakistan is placed at number three followed by Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Iran and Maldives are ranked above Pakistan.

Here's how Arif Hasan concluded his Kathmandu speech:

Pakistani society continues in its state of flux, and the Afghan war has escalated this. The normal evolution of society has been stopped by the militancy in Pakistan linked to the war in Afghanistan. If you remove these militants – which you won’t, by the way – then a whole new world emerges in Pakistan, a transformation in a society trying to define itself. The recent shooting of Malala Yusufzhai has shown what Pakistani society really feels and how it thinks on issues. For the first time the Pakistani establishment – the army as well as the three major political parties – have all condemned the Taliban for the shooting. The people have spoken in the huge rallies, in Karachi and elsewhere. Earlier, this never happened because people were scared of being shot, kidnapped, and having bombs thrown at them. This is the first time that there has been such a huge public outpouring.

But even as people find a voice, we do need the inculcation of new societal values. The problem is, how do you promote these values and through whom? It is too much to ask media, and academia is busy in consultancies for the donor institutions. The literature is all about the struggle between fundamentalism and liberalism, but that is not where the problem lies. The challenge is for Pakistani society to consolidate itself in the post-feudal era. The society has freed itself from the shackles of feudalism, but our values still remain very much the same. There are very big changes that are taking place – how do you support them, how do you institutionalize them, how do you give the people a voice? I leave you with these questions, rather than try and provide the answers.


Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Silent Social Revolution in Pakistan

Arif Hasan's Website

The Eclipse of Feudalism in Pakistan

Social and Structural Transformations in Pakistan

Malala Moment: Profiles in Courage-Not!

Urbanization in Pakistan Highest in South Asia

Rising Economic Mobility in Pakistan

Upwardly Mobile Pakistan


http://www.riazhaq.com/2016/07/qandeel-baloch-leading-social.html
 
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Seriously, if a society takes her image as a revolutionary, then that would be evolution gone wrong.
 
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Another distraction. There's no benefit for a country for this stuff. Shame that the media gives her so much attention. She hasn't helped Pakistan at all. I've seen her more than Edhi saab on western news. Perfect example of portraying Pakistan and Pakistanis in bad light.
 
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Media gave it a new colour by making it "violence against women", but this is what media does. It takes something and portrays it just as it wants.

Murder, there is no justification for it. Neither will i defend the brother in this case.

Qandeel Baloch, is itself a a fake name, Fouzia is the true name. So is this about Fouzia who ran from home or this about Qandeel Baloch who wants attention because Fouzia didnt get any.

Why doesnt the media probe into this:

1. why did Fouzia run away from home? whose fault is that?

2. Who made Qandeel Baloch a celebrity? Evidently, Media.
She used FB and then got fame and was even called up in a talk show. Why doesnt Media take its responsibility of "polishing" her image after she has shown "Shining" skills of her half nude dances,acts and song.

3. Does Qandeel Baloch represent Women of Pakistan? Really? because the article is about violence against women. So women of Pakistan need to run away from home and replicate acts of Qandeel and if they get killed by a relative, then 99% of Pakistani women are in danger, what amount of gross non sense is this !

4. Why isnt the focus on Fouzia, from where the whole saga started. what factors in our society or Fouzia's upbringing made her Qandeel?

I just find it absurd that because of Qandeel's fate, the women of Pakistan are now in danger. Media can be used positively also, but who needs to inculcate that in our generation?
 
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She was a disgusting freak and part time celebrity for media to earn some attention at best. Too sick more blogs, editorials are written on her than Edhi.

After her death she is hot topic for "begharat brigade" who used to like & comment on her every vulgar pic & video ...... she was supposed to be a front line warrior for our secular morons, but too bad she was neutralized too soon.

She applied her cheap tactics firstly on Shahid Afridi she failed.
Then she tried it on Imran Khan, she failed again.
Now Mufti shb was her fresh target ......
And who was her next target? Raheel Sharif?

There is need to strictly form & apply laws which forbid such hookers from raising their heads.

Our heros are Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Bilqees Edhi, Ayesha Farooq, Parveen Saeed, Aarfa Kareem, Malala Yousafzai and similar women ,Not some hooker who is trying to get attention on social media by striping her dress & stating vulgar messages to eminent Pakistani people.

:mad:
 
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journey from village to grave through media ride
 
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An absurd idea. If willing prostitutes are going to be Social Icons. Then I think seriously conservative societies and Burqa women are better. Not being biased but at least we should know whether male or female there are ethical rules and one should abide by them.
 
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It's true that she has upset quite a lot of people because of her clothing and her moves especially in the song "Ban"...but she didn't deserve to be murdered...

Her death has brought back Pakistan's embarrassing problem which is honour killing...There seems to be no end to this plague...
 
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A lot of innocent women are killed in so called honor killings no doubt. However, the showbiz girls like to play with our national honor with their cheap tactics. Offering Shahid Afridi a striptease dance in case of winning against India is the height of cheapness. Qandeel in a way provoked her murder by herself.
 
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Pray read some of the posts again. Let us assume that Qandeel Baloch was everything thing that Hon TIPU 7 declares. She was also a prostitute per Hon Dr Sheharyar; does is it now follow that Qandeel Baloch deserved to be killed??? At least that is what an ignorant man like me understands from such outbursts.

It is not about Islam or any religion. It is about the twisted values of our society and the way it is portrayed in the media but most important of all it is about the hypocrisy of the political leaders. Except the Wahhabi/Deobandi Mullahs, who would probably applaud honour killing, most political leaders while condemning a straight forward crime qualify it with “Ifs & Buts” in the same breath. By this the leaders actually condone the obviously heinous crimes. Isn't it ironic that Kasur young children are molested; sodomy is the most despicable crime according to the holy Quran as indicated by the destruction of Hazrat Lut's nation; but the Molester's honour & respect in Pakistan remains intact. But if women of the family is even suspected of shameful conduct she loses her life!

Greatest misfortune of Pakistan is that it is not only the religious/political leaders who do it, such hypocrisy permeates right through the society and even the prominent lawyers and judges are as bigoted as ordinary citizens.

Somehow my countrymen cannot get this simple fact through their heads that murder is a crime against the society; no one has the right to kill another. ‘Murder’ is Murder no matter what was the provocation. Human life is sacred and it is not up to an individual but only for the Courts to decide upon the death sentence after taking into consideration all the extenuating circumstances.

Rest of the world may be in the 21st Century but sadly many Pakistanis continue to live in the Dark Ages. Anything or anyone that is disagreeable deserves to be killed. This explains the continued support of Taliban in Pakistan. Until such time that the whole society learns to follow the norm of a civilised society, independent minded girls will continue to lose their lives.

We need at least 100 more true humans like Abdus Sattar Edhi to make us compassionate human beings. The fact that many bigoted Mullahs refused to lead Edhi Sahib's funeral prayers is another reflection of bigotry.
 
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Pray read some of the posts again. Let us assume that Qandeel Baloch was everything thing that Hon TIPU 7 declares. She was also a prostitute per Hon Dr Sheharyar; does is it now follow that Qandeel Baloch deserved to be killed??? At least that is what an ignorant man like me understands from such outbursts.

It is not about Islam or any religion. It is about the twisted values of our society and the way it is portrayed in the media but most important of all it is about the hypocrisy of the political leaders. Except the Wahhabi/Deobandi Mullahs, who would probably applaud honour killing, most political leaders while condemning a straight forward crime qualify it with “Ifs & Buts” in the same breath. By this the leaders actually condone the obviously heinous crimes. Isn't it ironic that Kasur young children are molested; sodomy is the most despicable crime according to the holy Quran as indicated by the destruction of Hazrat Lut's nation; but the Molester's honour & respect in Pakistan remains intact. But if women of the family is even suspected of shameful conduct she loses her life!

Greatest misfortune of Pakistan is that it is not only the religious/political leaders who do it, such hypocrisy permeates right through the society and even the prominent lawyers and judges are as bigoted as ordinary citizens.

Somehow my countrymen cannot get this simple fact through their heads that murder is a crime against the society; no one has the right to kill another. ‘Murder’ is Murder no matter what was the provocation. Human life is sacred and it is not up to an individual but only for the Courts to decide upon the death sentence after taking into consideration all the extenuating circumstances.

Rest of the world may be in the 21st Century but sadly many Pakistanis continue to live in the Dark Ages. Anything or anyone that is disagreeable deserves to be killed. This explains the continued support of Taliban in Pakistan. Until such time that the whole society learns to follow the norm of a civilised society, independent minded girls will continue to lose their lives.

We need at least 100 more true humans like Abdus Sattar Edhi to make us compassionate human beings. The fact that many bigoted Mullahs refused to lead Edhi Sahib's funeral prayers is another reflection of bigotry.

You apparently didn't get my point. I was not talking about the justice in killing. It was the action that provoked this reaction. Have you not heard *when in Rome, do as the Romans do.*
 
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You apparently didn't get my point. I was not talking about the justice in killing. It was the action that provoked this reaction. Have you not heard *when in Rome, do as the Romans do.*

I saw the video Ban just because I have heard about it so much after this tragic incident.

The poor girl is not a s.lut. She is trying to act like one.

She is pudgy. Put on weight. And uncomfortable with the moves that are so obviously alien to her.

So why did she do what she did?

Yes, I would like to remember her as a brave girl who was making a statement. Knowing well where she was doing it and what danger she faced.
 
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I saw the video Ban just because I have heard about it so much after this tragic incident.

The poor girl is not a s.lut. She is trying to act like one.

She is pudgy. Put on weight. And uncomfortable with the moves that are so obviously alien to her.

So why did she do what she did?

Yes, I would like to remember her as a brave girl who was making a statement. Knowing well where she was doing it and what danger she faced.

I cant further comment on your post.
 
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