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The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch
Bold’, ‘Shameless’, ‘Siren’ were just some of the (kinder) words used to describe Qandeel Baloch. She embraced these labels and played the coquette, yet dished out biting critiques of some of Pakistan’s most holy cows. Pakistanis snickered at her fake American accent, but marvelled at her gumption. She was the stuff of a hundred memes and Pakistan’s first celebrity-by-social media.Qandeel first captured the nation’s attention on Pakistan Idol with a failed audition and tearful outburst. But it was in February 2016, when she uploaded a Facebook video mocking a presidential ‘warning’ not to celebrate Valentine’s Day, that she went ‘viral’. In the video, which racked up nearly a million views, she lies in bed, in a low-cut red dress, and says in broken English, ‘They can stop to people go out…but they can’t stop to people love.’ The video shows us everything that Pakistanis loved—and loved to hate—about Qandeel, ‘Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian’. Five months later, she would be dead. In July 2016, Qandeel’s brother would strangle her in their family home, in what was described as an ‘honour killing’—a punishment for the ‘shame’ her online behaviour had brought to the family.Scores of young women and men are killed in the name of honour every year in Pakistan. Many cases are never reported, and of the ones that are, murderers are often ‘forgiven’ by the surviving family members and do not face charges. However, just six days after Qandeel’s death, the Anti-Honour Killings Laws Bill was fast-tracked in parliament, and in October 2016, the loophole allowing families to pardon perpetrators of ‘honour killings’ was closed. What spurred the change? Was it the murder of Qandeel Baloch? And how did she come to represent the clash between rigid conservatism and a secular, liberal vision for Pakistan? Through dozens of interviews—with aspiring models, managers, university students, activists, lawyers, police officers and journalists, among them—Sanam Maher gives us a portrait of a woman and a nation.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
August 6, 2018
More than a year after she made her last video or uploaded her last photograph, we are not done talking about what Qandeel did.
I’m so, so glad Sanam Maher wrote this book, because someone needed to. Pakistan is, let’s face it, a country bursting with issues that we don’t talk enough about. We’ve got more problems than we can count, and on top of that, we’ve got those who will choose to ignore our problems in favour of pointing at other countries and screaming ‘but they’re so oppressive/racist/RAPE CAPITAL!’ because apparently if we’re bad, all that matters is that we not be the worst.
But I digress. I’m glad someone wrote this book because the only places where we discuss the horrors of being a woman in Pakistan are the bland, overused stock phrases of newspaper articles. I’m glad because a smart, insightful look at the Pakistani social media scene in the form of a full length book is a very rare thing. I’m happy because the writing was controlled and the narrative structure well-formed. It was organized and not boring at all and it talked about all the right things without veering off into melodrama or too many facts one after the other. And mostly, I’m ecstatic that there were whole chapters dedicated to people like Arshad Khan (the Chaiwalla, for those who never bothered to learn his real name) or Nighat Dad, cool woman personified.
I thought the whole book would be about Qandeel herself. That’s what everyone who has seen the TV show about her life says, as an excuse to not read this text. But it isn’t, not really. Maher’s focus is not just on the linear life path that Qandeel followed but also all those who are affected by her, who interacted with her, orbited in her circuit. It’s about people who looked up to Qandeel as a role model or those who lost their credibility by affiliating with her. The focus of the story constantly circles wider, talking about people who, like her, shot to fame on social media, or like her, knew what cyberharrassment felt like. The woman who was in charge of the investigation after Qandeel’s death, the man who trained Qandeel in self defense, the parents who registered an FIR against their son, the woman who worked as a model and wanted to follow in Qandeel’s footsteps, the man who introduced Qandeel to the modelling business. They all feature in detail, talking about their own selves and most of all of how stark a presense Qandeel was in their lives.
Overall, though, it feels sort of pointless to talk about the content of the book itself, because doesn’t everyone already know about Qandeel? We’ve, after all, seen most or at least some of her interviews or YouTube videos. We all remember Mufti Abdul Qavi and the offer to Shahid Afridi and the appeal to Imran Khan. Most of us also remember when Qandeel’s real name was revealed across all the channels and the absolute madness that erupted every time her name was mentioned after that. But the way Sanam Maher has tackled her source material is extraordinary. I don’t claim to have read a lot of nonfiction, and memoirs or biographies have never managed to retain my interest, but Maher isn’t interested in just Qandeel’s life. We talk not only about Qandeel but about the society in which she lived and how it in turn was obsessed with and horrified by her. And by horrified I mean enough to have been happy when she was murdered. And enough to threaten Saba Qamar, the actress who willingly chose to portray Qandeel in a TV serial based on QB’s life.
Qamar reportedly received death threats for taking on the project and when the Express Tribune ran a trailer for the new series on its Facebook page, the post was flooded with hateful comments. ‘Like Qandel’s murder, Saba Qamar should also be murdered in the same way,” one male commentator wrote while another called Qandeel and Qamar ‘strippers and prostitutes’.
Maher’s work is also unflinching in its depiction of the media that some argue are what contributed to her death. If not the actual murderers, than accomplices for certain. It wasn’t, seemingly, the shame of what Qandeel had done, but how widespread that fame became, that led to her brother killing her. Our media isn’t exactly a responsible and conscientious medium on its best days. The slightest hint of a controversy is enough to send them into a mad frenzy. Once Qandeel’s real name was revealed, pictures of her passport appeared on almost every channel.
If Daily Pakistan is responsible for what happened to Qandeel, then so is every other newspaper and TV channel that ran a story on Qandeel’s real name and where she was from.
Other equally horrible stuff crops up elsewhere as well. The honour killing laws and their treatment, and the fact that they haven’t actually managed to make any substantial changes in the number of deaths. Cybercrimes and how Nighat Dad is spending her days dealing with the utter craziness that is Pakistan’s web. Social Media, and how fame from these sources can be dangerous and toxic. The modelling industry, and how it crosses over into blatant prostitution. The villages where women are killed for any number of ridiculous reasons. Patriarchy and how it dictates the life of the majority of Pakistan’s population.
"We have a tradition here that every second or fourth day some girl is killed and thrown in the river. You media guys are creating hype for nothing."
I think the only thing that makes me sad about the existence of this book is that the people who should be reading it are probably not going to. I know loads of people who picked the book up and looked horrified at the (very cool) illustration of Qandeel’s face. And these are the very people at whom I wanted to shove the book to force them to read it. I feel like there’s a very tiny crowd, the ones who defended Qandeel in the first place, who’ll read this book and actually learn from it. The rest of Pakistan, misogynistic and patriarchal, will continue living in ignorance. And that is the saddest thing about this whole endeavour.
Today, two years after her death, the conversations still continue in the same veins, with the same groups saying the same thing. To us, she’s either a fighter, taking on patriarchy and misogyny front and centre, a woman who escaped the clutches of a horrible marriage and made a life for herself and for her parents, or she is a wanton woman, an insult to our culture and a threat to our religion. Even with all the adoration and the vitriol poured on her in tandem, she still fascinated, with scores of Pakistani audiences unable to look away from the sort of drama the name Qandeel Baloch could stir. These two teams represent not just those whether we were with or against Qandeel but are also extensions of the Pakistani mind set, in conflict with itself over everything. Here’s hoping that this book changes the landscape in terms of making everyone a little less ignorant about the realities of the world we live in. Definitely recommended.
***
I review Pakistani Fiction and would love to talk to people who like to talk about fiction (Pakistani and otherwise). To read more reviews or just talk about books, check out my Blog or find me on Twitter!
Disclaimer: I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
***
ORIGINAL UPDATE:
Really, really good stuff. Highly recommended, especially to all Pakistanis, but also for those who are blind to the realities of being a women. This book was necessary. Review to come.
*
My first international ARC, and from INDIA! Can't wait to review this.
I’m so, so glad Sanam Maher wrote this book, because someone needed to. Pakistan is, let’s face it, a country bursting with issues that we don’t talk enough about. We’ve got more problems than we can count, and on top of that, we’ve got those who will choose to ignore our problems in favour of pointing at other countries and screaming ‘but they’re so oppressive/racist/RAPE CAPITAL!’ because apparently if we’re bad, all that matters is that we not be the worst.
But I digress. I’m glad someone wrote this book because the only places where we discuss the horrors of being a woman in Pakistan are the bland, overused stock phrases of newspaper articles. I’m glad because a smart, insightful look at the Pakistani social media scene in the form of a full length book is a very rare thing. I’m happy because the writing was controlled and the narrative structure well-formed. It was organized and not boring at all and it talked about all the right things without veering off into melodrama or too many facts one after the other. And mostly, I’m ecstatic that there were whole chapters dedicated to people like Arshad Khan (the Chaiwalla, for those who never bothered to learn his real name) or Nighat Dad, cool woman personified.
I thought the whole book would be about Qandeel herself. That’s what everyone who has seen the TV show about her life says, as an excuse to not read this text. But it isn’t, not really. Maher’s focus is not just on the linear life path that Qandeel followed but also all those who are affected by her, who interacted with her, orbited in her circuit. It’s about people who looked up to Qandeel as a role model or those who lost their credibility by affiliating with her. The focus of the story constantly circles wider, talking about people who, like her, shot to fame on social media, or like her, knew what cyberharrassment felt like. The woman who was in charge of the investigation after Qandeel’s death, the man who trained Qandeel in self defense, the parents who registered an FIR against their son, the woman who worked as a model and wanted to follow in Qandeel’s footsteps, the man who introduced Qandeel to the modelling business. They all feature in detail, talking about their own selves and most of all of how stark a presense Qandeel was in their lives.
Overall, though, it feels sort of pointless to talk about the content of the book itself, because doesn’t everyone already know about Qandeel? We’ve, after all, seen most or at least some of her interviews or YouTube videos. We all remember Mufti Abdul Qavi and the offer to Shahid Afridi and the appeal to Imran Khan. Most of us also remember when Qandeel’s real name was revealed across all the channels and the absolute madness that erupted every time her name was mentioned after that. But the way Sanam Maher has tackled her source material is extraordinary. I don’t claim to have read a lot of nonfiction, and memoirs or biographies have never managed to retain my interest, but Maher isn’t interested in just Qandeel’s life. We talk not only about Qandeel but about the society in which she lived and how it in turn was obsessed with and horrified by her. And by horrified I mean enough to have been happy when she was murdered. And enough to threaten Saba Qamar, the actress who willingly chose to portray Qandeel in a TV serial based on QB’s life.
Qamar reportedly received death threats for taking on the project and when the Express Tribune ran a trailer for the new series on its Facebook page, the post was flooded with hateful comments. ‘Like Qandel’s murder, Saba Qamar should also be murdered in the same way,” one male commentator wrote while another called Qandeel and Qamar ‘strippers and prostitutes’.
Maher’s work is also unflinching in its depiction of the media that some argue are what contributed to her death. If not the actual murderers, than accomplices for certain. It wasn’t, seemingly, the shame of what Qandeel had done, but how widespread that fame became, that led to her brother killing her. Our media isn’t exactly a responsible and conscientious medium on its best days. The slightest hint of a controversy is enough to send them into a mad frenzy. Once Qandeel’s real name was revealed, pictures of her passport appeared on almost every channel.
If Daily Pakistan is responsible for what happened to Qandeel, then so is every other newspaper and TV channel that ran a story on Qandeel’s real name and where she was from.
Other equally horrible stuff crops up elsewhere as well. The honour killing laws and their treatment, and the fact that they haven’t actually managed to make any substantial changes in the number of deaths. Cybercrimes and how Nighat Dad is spending her days dealing with the utter craziness that is Pakistan’s web. Social Media, and how fame from these sources can be dangerous and toxic. The modelling industry, and how it crosses over into blatant prostitution. The villages where women are killed for any number of ridiculous reasons. Patriarchy and how it dictates the life of the majority of Pakistan’s population.
"We have a tradition here that every second or fourth day some girl is killed and thrown in the river. You media guys are creating hype for nothing."
I think the only thing that makes me sad about the existence of this book is that the people who should be reading it are probably not going to. I know loads of people who picked the book up and looked horrified at the (very cool) illustration of Qandeel’s face. And these are the very people at whom I wanted to shove the book to force them to read it. I feel like there’s a very tiny crowd, the ones who defended Qandeel in the first place, who’ll read this book and actually learn from it. The rest of Pakistan, misogynistic and patriarchal, will continue living in ignorance. And that is the saddest thing about this whole endeavour.
Today, two years after her death, the conversations still continue in the same veins, with the same groups saying the same thing. To us, she’s either a fighter, taking on patriarchy and misogyny front and centre, a woman who escaped the clutches of a horrible marriage and made a life for herself and for her parents, or she is a wanton woman, an insult to our culture and a threat to our religion. Even with all the adoration and the vitriol poured on her in tandem, she still fascinated, with scores of Pakistani audiences unable to look away from the sort of drama the name Qandeel Baloch could stir. These two teams represent not just those whether we were with or against Qandeel but are also extensions of the Pakistani mind set, in conflict with itself over everything. Here’s hoping that this book changes the landscape in terms of making everyone a little less ignorant about the realities of the world we live in. Definitely recommended.
***
I review Pakistani Fiction and would love to talk to people who like to talk about fiction (Pakistani and otherwise). To read more reviews or just talk about books, check out my Blog or find me on Twitter!
Disclaimer: I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
***
ORIGINAL UPDATE:
Really, really good stuff. Highly recommended, especially to all Pakistanis, but also for those who are blind to the realities of being a women. This book was necessary. Review to come.
*
My first international ARC, and from INDIA! Can't wait to review this.
December 16, 2020
Qandeel Baloch is the stage name for Fouzia Azeem, once called the “Kim Kardashian of Pakistan”. She was “honor killed” by her brother. This book is the story of how this murder came to be and about its aftermath.
Azeem/Baloch grew up in a very poor family (6 brothers; 2 sisters) in a very poor town. She loved to sing and dance and was educated through the 9th grade. Azeem had an arranged marriage to a cousin and produced a son. Her husband was unfaithful and beat/tortured her; her father supported her through the divorce.
After the divorce (the ex-husband took the son) Azeem worked for subsistence wages until her audition for “Pakistan Idol” which helped her launch a social media career. As Baloch, she supported her parents and set her brother (the same brother who took her life) up in a cell phone business.
Due to her fame, the killing became an international embarrassment spurring Pakistan to revise its honor killing laws. Now, the victim’s family (which often included the perpetrator) cannot free the convicted killer, but can spare him (or her) the death penalty. The result is a reduction in “honor killings” and a presumption that accidents have been staged instead.
Sanam Maher covers all the above. The last chapter, on the aftermath, is an excellent summary. The author has done her homework. She knows the material and has interviewed the family and other key people.
This could have been great book but for its organization. There are pages that describe the lives of Pakistani models, actresses, bus hostesses and others before you know their (sometimes very loose) connection to Qandeel and her story. The most confusing order problem is reading 20 pages about Mufti Qavi before you know why he is even in this book.
A lesser problem is that endeavors are not well defined. How do the promoters, and participants like Qandeel, make money in fashion shows? (It seems like models have to bring their own clothes.) How about the reality shows where city girls live in the remote and poor farms? How, specifically, did Qandeel monetize her social media fame? At times it seems that Qandeel and others speak English, which would be unusual for their levels of education.
There is a good index and the sources are clearly shown.
If attention were paid to order and clarity (which would only require adding introductory and transitional paragraphs and a sentence or two for background) this could have been a really great book.
Azeem/Baloch grew up in a very poor family (6 brothers; 2 sisters) in a very poor town. She loved to sing and dance and was educated through the 9th grade. Azeem had an arranged marriage to a cousin and produced a son. Her husband was unfaithful and beat/tortured her; her father supported her through the divorce.
After the divorce (the ex-husband took the son) Azeem worked for subsistence wages until her audition for “Pakistan Idol” which helped her launch a social media career. As Baloch, she supported her parents and set her brother (the same brother who took her life) up in a cell phone business.
Due to her fame, the killing became an international embarrassment spurring Pakistan to revise its honor killing laws. Now, the victim’s family (which often included the perpetrator) cannot free the convicted killer, but can spare him (or her) the death penalty. The result is a reduction in “honor killings” and a presumption that accidents have been staged instead.
Sanam Maher covers all the above. The last chapter, on the aftermath, is an excellent summary. The author has done her homework. She knows the material and has interviewed the family and other key people.
This could have been great book but for its organization. There are pages that describe the lives of Pakistani models, actresses, bus hostesses and others before you know their (sometimes very loose) connection to Qandeel and her story. The most confusing order problem is reading 20 pages about Mufti Qavi before you know why he is even in this book.
A lesser problem is that endeavors are not well defined. How do the promoters, and participants like Qandeel, make money in fashion shows? (It seems like models have to bring their own clothes.) How about the reality shows where city girls live in the remote and poor farms? How, specifically, did Qandeel monetize her social media fame? At times it seems that Qandeel and others speak English, which would be unusual for their levels of education.
There is a good index and the sources are clearly shown.
If attention were paid to order and clarity (which would only require adding introductory and transitional paragraphs and a sentence or two for background) this could have been a really great book.
April 28, 2019
Really interesting discussions on social media, culture and freedom to be whoever one wants to be throughout, but the writing style felt a bit messy and I wish we'd actually gotten to know Qandeel a little better.
PS: I read this as an uncorrected proof, so it's possible some of the stuff with the writing still be corrected in the final edition.
PS: I read this as an uncorrected proof, so it's possible some of the stuff with the writing still be corrected in the final edition.
Want to read
December 10, 2020A very familiar story,thanks to constant exposure on Pakistan's sensation hungry cable news channels.
She was a girl from a small town,who became an internet sensation in Pakistan thanks to her publicity seeking tactics.She appeared on facebook in provocative poses and skimpy costumes,instantly gaining
notoriety in a conservative country.
Later,she was linked to a cleric igniting further controversy.Pakistan's cable news channels lapped up her story.They just couldn't get enough of her.
Shortly before she was killed,she was again on TV.Terrified,she claimed that she was receiving death threats and her life was in danger.
Sure enough,she was murdered soon after.And by none else than her brother.
A victim,no doubt,but one who also courted controversy and must have been aware of the risks she was taking.
Girls get killed for far less in this country.
She was a girl from a small town,who became an internet sensation in Pakistan thanks to her publicity seeking tactics.She appeared on facebook in provocative poses and skimpy costumes,instantly gaining
notoriety in a conservative country.
Later,she was linked to a cleric igniting further controversy.Pakistan's cable news channels lapped up her story.They just couldn't get enough of her.
Shortly before she was killed,she was again on TV.Terrified,she claimed that she was receiving death threats and her life was in danger.
Sure enough,she was murdered soon after.And by none else than her brother.
A victim,no doubt,but one who also courted controversy and must have been aware of the risks she was taking.
Girls get killed for far less in this country.
July 18, 2019
My review is on my website. www.bookread2day.wordpress.com
Right now I’m trying to read more true stories.
A Woman Like Her The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch, is a true story of the killing of the world’s most unlikely feminist icon in Pakistan. In July 2016 she was murdered by her brother in a so called honour killing. Qandeel was Pakistan’s first celebrity by social media, she became known for the videos and photographs she posted to sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Her brother confessed to murdering her saying her actions had brought dis-honour to his family. Qandeel was a famous model, she was planning to travel to India to take part in a reality TV show there. News was breaking that In the area of Muzaffarabad that Qandeel Baloch had been killed by her brother. News of her death hit the Western media, and a BBC documentary released shortly afterwards that was watched millions of times.
I recommend reading Woman Like Her, as it is a fascinating true crime story about in how Qandeel was called Pakistan’s Kim Kardaashian and how appearances of video interviews, tweets or Facebook post was in character, she created about herself were part truth and part lies and exaggeration.
Right now I’m trying to read more true stories.
A Woman Like Her The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch, is a true story of the killing of the world’s most unlikely feminist icon in Pakistan. In July 2016 she was murdered by her brother in a so called honour killing. Qandeel was Pakistan’s first celebrity by social media, she became known for the videos and photographs she posted to sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Her brother confessed to murdering her saying her actions had brought dis-honour to his family. Qandeel was a famous model, she was planning to travel to India to take part in a reality TV show there. News was breaking that In the area of Muzaffarabad that Qandeel Baloch had been killed by her brother. News of her death hit the Western media, and a BBC documentary released shortly afterwards that was watched millions of times.
I recommend reading Woman Like Her, as it is a fascinating true crime story about in how Qandeel was called Pakistan’s Kim Kardaashian and how appearances of video interviews, tweets or Facebook post was in character, she created about herself were part truth and part lies and exaggeration.
April 12, 2020
I was overly excited to read this book because since Qandeel Baloch’s murder in 2016, I went insane researching everything to find the truth about her life. Like others, I had so many questions.
But sadly, not only did I find this book poorly written and structured, but it didn’t add anything to my knowledge about who Qandeel was, why she set out to live her life the way she did and what the truth behind her story was. Given the book’s title, as a reader you expect these questions to be deeply explored, if not answered. It tells us Qandeel was a rebel from a young age, but was that all that drove her actions?
Although the author’s extensive level of research is clear, the book felt incomplete. It didn’t answer anything I didn’t already know from news articles and documentaries on Qandeel. Instead, it went to great length to talk about other characters unrelated to Qandeel. I get that the author was trying to encapsulate the broader issue of honour killings in Pakistan but this could have still been achieved without dedicating whole chapters to some characters. I personally found it counter-productive because it shifted the attention away from Qandeel’s story. Perhaps if the book didn’t set out to supposedly tell “the short life of Qandeel” then it might have made sense.
Also I found it frustrating in that it only told us Qandeel’s life after her decision to enter showbiz. What about all the years of her life prior to that? Her upbringing, her relationships with her family/community, her marriage, anything that could make us understand her more as a person! I don’t understand why such important pieces of information was missing..
But sadly, not only did I find this book poorly written and structured, but it didn’t add anything to my knowledge about who Qandeel was, why she set out to live her life the way she did and what the truth behind her story was. Given the book’s title, as a reader you expect these questions to be deeply explored, if not answered. It tells us Qandeel was a rebel from a young age, but was that all that drove her actions?
Although the author’s extensive level of research is clear, the book felt incomplete. It didn’t answer anything I didn’t already know from news articles and documentaries on Qandeel. Instead, it went to great length to talk about other characters unrelated to Qandeel. I get that the author was trying to encapsulate the broader issue of honour killings in Pakistan but this could have still been achieved without dedicating whole chapters to some characters. I personally found it counter-productive because it shifted the attention away from Qandeel’s story. Perhaps if the book didn’t set out to supposedly tell “the short life of Qandeel” then it might have made sense.
Also I found it frustrating in that it only told us Qandeel’s life after her decision to enter showbiz. What about all the years of her life prior to that? Her upbringing, her relationships with her family/community, her marriage, anything that could make us understand her more as a person! I don’t understand why such important pieces of information was missing..
September 8, 2018
If love marriages don't succeed in movies, then how can they succeed in real life? A judge giving his judgment.....
There is a huge issue of honour in the Pakistan culture, and in order to really understand its complex and intricate nature, this book is a must-read. Sanam has really worked hard to piece together a story from another planet, the paindo culture of Pakistan. What real options have working girls have coming from poor backgrounds without any real skills in the very patriarchal Pakistani culture? Qandeel was learning from her new contacts, improvising as she went on a very dangerous journey, alone and unchaperoned. The real risk was not accepting the security of any patron on her journey which made her very bold and courageous but unfortunately very very naive. I don't think she truly realised the implications of Social Media fully. I don't think anyone of us do. The girl was innocently trying to claim the spotlight for as long as possible so she could make some money. And she did pretty well for a while till she came head to head with the maulvi, and no one fucks with the maulvis of Pakistan, and gets away with it.
The maulvis supply and propagate the best anecdotes, anecdotes around which Pakistanis have created their life philosophies. These anecdotes have to be challenged and new ones put in place for any new change to be effective.
Beghairat ko ghairat kissi waqt bhi asakti hei, a shame this anecdote only seems to apply to the men of Pakistan, and not to the women......
There is a huge issue of honour in the Pakistan culture, and in order to really understand its complex and intricate nature, this book is a must-read. Sanam has really worked hard to piece together a story from another planet, the paindo culture of Pakistan. What real options have working girls have coming from poor backgrounds without any real skills in the very patriarchal Pakistani culture? Qandeel was learning from her new contacts, improvising as she went on a very dangerous journey, alone and unchaperoned. The real risk was not accepting the security of any patron on her journey which made her very bold and courageous but unfortunately very very naive. I don't think she truly realised the implications of Social Media fully. I don't think anyone of us do. The girl was innocently trying to claim the spotlight for as long as possible so she could make some money. And she did pretty well for a while till she came head to head with the maulvi, and no one fucks with the maulvis of Pakistan, and gets away with it.
The maulvis supply and propagate the best anecdotes, anecdotes around which Pakistanis have created their life philosophies. These anecdotes have to be challenged and new ones put in place for any new change to be effective.
Beghairat ko ghairat kissi waqt bhi asakti hei, a shame this anecdote only seems to apply to the men of Pakistan, and not to the women......
August 15, 2018
An exceptional, incredibly engaging book that goes beyond narrating the life and death of Qandeel Baloch and explores local culture, social media-fuelled fame and how it's changing society and politics and popular culture, and the toxic masculinity that dogs the lives of women in Pakistan. Highly, highly recommended.
May 24, 2018
This book starts with the news of Qandeel's murder making headlines on national television and the tug of war between news channels about capturing the footage of her body and their tussle in interviewing her family. This book answered all my questions about Qandeel and why was she suddenly in the news. Very wonderfully written, this book highlighted all the people who knew Qandeel from her beginning, people who were sad that she was killed, people who were praising her brother for killing her.
I appreciate Maher for unflinchingly describing the details of her life. Maher not only highlighted Qandeel's life but also the important aspects of Social media. The rise of cyber bullying, the upside and downside of social media, in this case, perfect example being Arshad Khan, the famous "Chai wala" who garnered attention because of his eyes and his brooding gaze. How people like Nighat Dad, who runs DRF(Digital rights foundation) and a helpline for women who are victims of cyber bullying.
People made fun of her videos and her video with Mufti Abdul Qavi, the cleric from Multan who was always in the news. It wrecked havoc on his life as well.
Qandeel led a hard and a rough life. People blaming her for bringing down the Baloch name, accusing her of not being a Baloch and threatening to sue her. Her life was not easy. Still, she supported her family by doing all what she could. Disowned after leaving her husband and son, she decided to live life on her own terms, unabashedly and confidently.
I love the writing, the natural way of telling the story and most of all the painstaking research that was done to make this book!
I appreciate Maher for unflinchingly describing the details of her life. Maher not only highlighted Qandeel's life but also the important aspects of Social media. The rise of cyber bullying, the upside and downside of social media, in this case, perfect example being Arshad Khan, the famous "Chai wala" who garnered attention because of his eyes and his brooding gaze. How people like Nighat Dad, who runs DRF(Digital rights foundation) and a helpline for women who are victims of cyber bullying.
People made fun of her videos and her video with Mufti Abdul Qavi, the cleric from Multan who was always in the news. It wrecked havoc on his life as well.
Qandeel led a hard and a rough life. People blaming her for bringing down the Baloch name, accusing her of not being a Baloch and threatening to sue her. Her life was not easy. Still, she supported her family by doing all what she could. Disowned after leaving her husband and son, she decided to live life on her own terms, unabashedly and confidently.
I love the writing, the natural way of telling the story and most of all the painstaking research that was done to make this book!
August 19, 2018
Dubbed ‘Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian’, Qandeel Baloch was a social media maverick, the very personification of scandal. Thousands avidly followed her on social media, watching videos of her as she danced, sang, and lisped outrageous promises—to strip for Shahid Afridi if his team managed to defeat the Indian cricket team, for instance—in broken English with a fake American accent. Many thousands (millions?) more hated Qandeel. They hated her ‘shamelessness’, as they called it. They thought she besmirched the name of Pakistan, of Islam, of ethics and culture.
There were perhaps not quite so many who could read between the lines, who could see Qandeel Baloch for neither the slut she was labelled, nor the star she perhaps wanted to be, but someone in between. A human being, who did not deserve to be murdered, and that too by her own brother, just for the sake of ‘honour’.
In the beginning of her biography of Qandeel Baloch, Sanam Maher writes about the conflicting accounts surrounding Qandeel’s life. Accounts that have become more convoluted and contradictory as time passes: accounts which by their very nature make it difficult to pinpoint who Qandeel was. Yes, we know she was born Fouzia Azeem and grew up in a Punjab village called Shah Sadar Din, and that having gone through an abusive marriage, eventually wound up as model, singer—and social media celebrity. Beyond that, however, it’s hard to conjecture about Qandeel’s motivations, or even the details of her life.
So Maher takes an interesting route to show us not just the journey of Qandeel Baloch, but of present-day Pakistan: she takes us down related roads. The life of a bus hostess, for instance (Qandeel probably worked as one). What it is like to be a model. How a similar rags-to-riches, overnight-fame story—that of the blue-eyed chaiwallah, Arshad—bears a resemblance to Qandeel’s, but could well be a contrast, highlighting Qandeel’s ability to remain in the spotlight.
Maher goes into the world of the journalists who unearthed parts of Qandeel’s life, and who broke the news of her murder. She introduces us to the police officer who spearheaded the investigation, and a woman who runs a helpline offering support for women who have been made the victims of cybercrime. She even interviews Mufti Qavi, who appeared with Qandeel on a talk show and later visited her at a hotel, sparking off a scandal.
What Maher manages to achieve through this is a brilliantly insightful, thought-provoking look at Pakistan. How its media, its religious leaders, its politicians and administrators help create, build up, and break down people like Qandeel. The role of society and its ideas of what is moral and what is not. The complex and nuanced character of Qandeel herself, of whom so little is known, even though—almost two years after her death—she is still all over the net.
If you’re looking for salacious gossip on Qandeel Baloch, go online. If you’re looking for an intelligent, informative and extremely entertaining look at Pakistan today, read The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch instead.
(From my review for The New Indian Express, August 19, 2018: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifes...)
There were perhaps not quite so many who could read between the lines, who could see Qandeel Baloch for neither the slut she was labelled, nor the star she perhaps wanted to be, but someone in between. A human being, who did not deserve to be murdered, and that too by her own brother, just for the sake of ‘honour’.
In the beginning of her biography of Qandeel Baloch, Sanam Maher writes about the conflicting accounts surrounding Qandeel’s life. Accounts that have become more convoluted and contradictory as time passes: accounts which by their very nature make it difficult to pinpoint who Qandeel was. Yes, we know she was born Fouzia Azeem and grew up in a Punjab village called Shah Sadar Din, and that having gone through an abusive marriage, eventually wound up as model, singer—and social media celebrity. Beyond that, however, it’s hard to conjecture about Qandeel’s motivations, or even the details of her life.
So Maher takes an interesting route to show us not just the journey of Qandeel Baloch, but of present-day Pakistan: she takes us down related roads. The life of a bus hostess, for instance (Qandeel probably worked as one). What it is like to be a model. How a similar rags-to-riches, overnight-fame story—that of the blue-eyed chaiwallah, Arshad—bears a resemblance to Qandeel’s, but could well be a contrast, highlighting Qandeel’s ability to remain in the spotlight.
Maher goes into the world of the journalists who unearthed parts of Qandeel’s life, and who broke the news of her murder. She introduces us to the police officer who spearheaded the investigation, and a woman who runs a helpline offering support for women who have been made the victims of cybercrime. She even interviews Mufti Qavi, who appeared with Qandeel on a talk show and later visited her at a hotel, sparking off a scandal.
What Maher manages to achieve through this is a brilliantly insightful, thought-provoking look at Pakistan. How its media, its religious leaders, its politicians and administrators help create, build up, and break down people like Qandeel. The role of society and its ideas of what is moral and what is not. The complex and nuanced character of Qandeel herself, of whom so little is known, even though—almost two years after her death—she is still all over the net.
If you’re looking for salacious gossip on Qandeel Baloch, go online. If you’re looking for an intelligent, informative and extremely entertaining look at Pakistan today, read The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch instead.
(From my review for The New Indian Express, August 19, 2018: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifes...)
April 8, 2020
I had never heard of Qandeel Baloh until I read this. I was hoping for a little more context of Pakistani society or more examples of honor killings. This book, though well-written, is geared more toward fans of the star.
April 18, 2020
Pakistani social media sensation Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother in 2016 in an honour killing. This book alternates chapters focused on one of Qandeel’s viral videos and on another aspect, for example other social media sensations such as the Chaiwala who shot to fame after his photograph was taken while serving tea in a market and how his life was affected by this sudden fame, other chapters focus on models at an agency that Qandeel worked with and a social media abuse hotline. These deviations can sometimes leave the book feeling a little unfocused as it veers away from the subject of the book. As an account of Qandeel’s life I felt the reader maybe doesn’t get close enough to her in that we are still largely viewing her through the public lens of her videos and that public persona that she created. Qandeel makes a very interesting study, sometimes drawing comparisons to Kim Kardashian, she used social media playfully and sometimes seductively as a way of making money and to chase fame, inciting a lot of anger along the way for the freedom with which she expressed herself and showed herself on social media. Where most of us use social media to express ourselves, for women in an unevenly modernising Pakistan this can often result in torrents of abuse, misuse of personal pictures and blackmail with not much recourse to prevent or punish this. This was an interesting read on social media in Pakistan and Qandeel’s lasting impact, though I would include a trigger warning that the description of her death and aftermath can be slightly grisly if you are quite sensitive to that.
August 14, 2020
Look, I tried. This book had so, soooooo much potential, which is why the terrible, disorganized writing and failure to make meaningful connections between the life of Qandeel Baloch and the inherent sociocultural misogyny of Pakistan was such a letdown. This book failed to really do any justice to the woman it was about: a polarizing figure in Pakistan’s social scene who played by her own rules and made an indelible mark on feminist discourse and understanding in the country. Truly a bummer because Qandeel (whether you liked her or not) deserved to have her story told. I will say, I did learn quite a bit about Muslim and Pakistani culture, of which I am extremely ignorant, so I appreciated that aspect. That said, I felt this book only scratched the surface and didn’t really enlighten the reader or make them think any more broadly or deeply about how complex Qandeel and her role in the cultural climate of Pakistan was.
September 20, 2021
"Qandeel's every appearance, video, interview, tweet or Facebook post was her in character. She created a story about herself, part truth and part lies and exaggerations. The story allowed her to be whoever we wanted her to be. It allowed her to be whoever she wanted to be."
In the author's note, Maher states how she wants to move beyond transcribing an authoritative narrative of Qandeel Baloch's life and instead answer questions like: "What kind of place created a woman like Qandeel? Why did her story receive such great attention? Why are we still so fascinated by her, and when we watched her videos or saw her latest photo, what was her image reflecting back to us?" It should not come as a surprise that the book does not solely focus on Qandeel. Chapters are dedicated to the modelling world, cyber crime and how its handled, Arshad Khan, the teaseller who joins the industry after his stunning photo goes viral.
This wider scope allows Maher to rise above the otherwise restrictive detail of her subject and place Qandeel in larger society and question how it all could happen from common attitudes of shame and honour, to the grimy aspects of the industry, to how women get easily exploited, to deficiencies of law in penalizing crime properly. In more ways than one, it is a superb sociological study of Pakistan, the pitfalls of social media fame; I wouldn't have minded a thicker book. I love Maher positioning Qandeel as a woman who exercised as much agency as possible & how she got punished for it.
June 5, 2018
Karachi based journalist Sanam Maher’s ‘The Sensational Life &Death of Qandeel Baloch’ is more than just a biography of an Internet sensation who was killed by her own brother, for though the book brings to us the bits and pieces about the many facets of Qandeel Baloch, it is also about the larger story of the socio cultural moorings in Pakistan and how ‘going viral’ spins off a complex world. In her author’s note, Sanam Maher says, “It has not been easy to write a story that everyone thinks they already know. If, by the end of the book, you still have questions, and feel doubtful about anyone trying to sell you the real story of Qandeel Baloch, then this work has served its purpose.” By the time I finished reading the book, these words from the author resonated with me.
What worked for me with this book was how Sanam Maher takes us through the lives of other people in Pakistan: the many women some of whom want to be the next Qandeel Baloch and some who are trying to just stay alive and safe. Maher’s profile of internationally acclaimed lawyer and digital rights activist Nighat Dad and her work for women who face cyber bullying and other forms of blackmail added more context to the lives and times of young women in Pakistan today even as Nighat’s own life story reveals she survived an abusive husband and an overbearing brother.
I would strongly recommend this book to readers looking at books on social norms and practices in the sub continent and social media narratives.
What worked for me with this book was how Sanam Maher takes us through the lives of other people in Pakistan: the many women some of whom want to be the next Qandeel Baloch and some who are trying to just stay alive and safe. Maher’s profile of internationally acclaimed lawyer and digital rights activist Nighat Dad and her work for women who face cyber bullying and other forms of blackmail added more context to the lives and times of young women in Pakistan today even as Nighat’s own life story reveals she survived an abusive husband and an overbearing brother.
I would strongly recommend this book to readers looking at books on social norms and practices in the sub continent and social media narratives.
December 26, 2018
For several years now, I've been aware of a female social media sensation based in Pakistan called Qandeel Baloch.
If you don't live in Pakistan or India, you might never have heard of her. She rose to fame in her home country because she shared selfies and short videos through Facebook and Instagram that were often very unfiltered - so much so that she was often called "the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan." Pakistan is a Muslim majority country where conservative values are pervasive. Existing against this backdrop as a social media star known for saying and doing provocative things was not the safest or more comfortable career path but Qandeel never backed down or hid away. She received death threats and was often mocked. Her social media status rose to such a point that she was often invited onto talk shows and other events because she was good clickbait - but on those shows, she was treated with little respect.
Sadly, Qandeel's whirlwind life came to an untimely and tragic end in July 2016. She was murdered by her brother whilst visiting her parent's home. She was aged just 26 years old. In death, Qandeel became more famous than she ever was in life. Her death put a spotlight on Pakistan's entertainment industry, the treatment of women, the tribal mentalities of small villages in Pakistan and on honour killings (which is what her murder was labelled as). The murder of an outspoken, larger-than-life woman at the hands of her religious, conservative brother bought in international press attention, with many Western media outlets vying for that "she stood up to the patriarchy and died" angle. I remember reading this coverage and wanting to know so much more about this woman who had become an enigma over night. Like many people, I really wanted to know more about her life behind-the-scenes and behind the lens because as a brown woman, Qandeel represented so much more than just another victim. So, understandably, when I found out about Sanam Maher's book about the life and times of Qandeel, purchasing it was a reflex.
Who is the author?
Sanam Maher is a Pakistani reporter based in the city of Karachi who writes for Al Jazeera, The New Yorks, Buzzfeed and more. As a journalist, Maher had followed Qandeel's viral exploits for years but never actually met or interviewed Qandeel herself. To write this book, Maher has done a superb job of researching and interviewing practically every key person that was at every key event of Qandeel's life - from her overwhelmed parents to her agent. Maher recently mentioned that she was inspired to write this book because Qandeel's death left her in a state of shock. Specifically, Maher was shocked by the image that Qandeel had crafted of herself: of a carefree, confident and liberated woman - when the reality was that Qandeel actually came from a very conservative, very poor family that was not supportive of her life choices at all.
What’s it about?
In the book, Maher traces Qandeel's life story to the small village she was born and raised in and then meanders onto the different paths Qandeel took in her quest for fame and fortune: from working as a bus hostess, to a model, to enjoying viral fame. As Maher retraces Qandeel's path, she interviews her family, her coworkers, her confidantes and even her enemies. Through Maher's travels and interviews, we get a cross-sectional look at Pakistani society and Pakistani culture and we get to see just how varied and different it is. Some notable examples include the strong and charasmatic Nighat Dad of the Digital Rights Foundation who tries to help and empower Pakistani women caught up in any kind of cyber abuse and the story of Arshad Khan, a chaiwalla who inadvertently became "Insta-famous" and had no idea what to do with said fame given that he'd never even used the Internet. Through all this, we get a feel for the context in which someone like Qandeel existed and a real feel of the diversity that makes up the fabric of Pakistani society.
Best bits?
Every. single. word. of. it. I know it seems like I'm not sparing the hyperbole here but I really do mean this. I didn't hesitate a moment to pick up this book because like most people, I was so curious about Qandeel and what drove her and Maher does an outstanding job of trying to demystify Qandeel for us. However, the true beauty of Maher's book is in the insights we get into Pakistani culture. Being of South Asian heritage myself, I often struggle with how Pakistan, India and other South Asian countries are appraised through the lens and perspectives of Western writers. It was so refreshing to read about a famous South Asian woman's story from another South Asian woman - someone who gets the nuances and the context. You really get that the story of Qandeel is the story of isolated villages, of class divides and of the 'Me Too' generation.
Any not-so-great bits?
I'll come in again with the hyperbole here: not. a. single. word. of. this. book. wasn't. great!
Verdict?
10/10. Buy this book now. Read this book now. If you enjoy social media or are curious about it in anyway, you will enjoy this book. If you've heard of Qandeel, you will enjoy this book. If you like to read about scandal, you will enjoy this book. If you are curious about modern day Pakistan, you will enjoy this book. If you've never heard of Qandeel and you don't even have a Facebook account, you will enjoy this book and I promise, you will turn the final page of this book feeling richer in mind and in soul.
Check out book reviews and more at my blog: www.thesouthernerblogs.co.uk
If you don't live in Pakistan or India, you might never have heard of her. She rose to fame in her home country because she shared selfies and short videos through Facebook and Instagram that were often very unfiltered - so much so that she was often called "the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan." Pakistan is a Muslim majority country where conservative values are pervasive. Existing against this backdrop as a social media star known for saying and doing provocative things was not the safest or more comfortable career path but Qandeel never backed down or hid away. She received death threats and was often mocked. Her social media status rose to such a point that she was often invited onto talk shows and other events because she was good clickbait - but on those shows, she was treated with little respect.
Sadly, Qandeel's whirlwind life came to an untimely and tragic end in July 2016. She was murdered by her brother whilst visiting her parent's home. She was aged just 26 years old. In death, Qandeel became more famous than she ever was in life. Her death put a spotlight on Pakistan's entertainment industry, the treatment of women, the tribal mentalities of small villages in Pakistan and on honour killings (which is what her murder was labelled as). The murder of an outspoken, larger-than-life woman at the hands of her religious, conservative brother bought in international press attention, with many Western media outlets vying for that "she stood up to the patriarchy and died" angle. I remember reading this coverage and wanting to know so much more about this woman who had become an enigma over night. Like many people, I really wanted to know more about her life behind-the-scenes and behind the lens because as a brown woman, Qandeel represented so much more than just another victim. So, understandably, when I found out about Sanam Maher's book about the life and times of Qandeel, purchasing it was a reflex.
Who is the author?
Sanam Maher is a Pakistani reporter based in the city of Karachi who writes for Al Jazeera, The New Yorks, Buzzfeed and more. As a journalist, Maher had followed Qandeel's viral exploits for years but never actually met or interviewed Qandeel herself. To write this book, Maher has done a superb job of researching and interviewing practically every key person that was at every key event of Qandeel's life - from her overwhelmed parents to her agent. Maher recently mentioned that she was inspired to write this book because Qandeel's death left her in a state of shock. Specifically, Maher was shocked by the image that Qandeel had crafted of herself: of a carefree, confident and liberated woman - when the reality was that Qandeel actually came from a very conservative, very poor family that was not supportive of her life choices at all.
What’s it about?
In the book, Maher traces Qandeel's life story to the small village she was born and raised in and then meanders onto the different paths Qandeel took in her quest for fame and fortune: from working as a bus hostess, to a model, to enjoying viral fame. As Maher retraces Qandeel's path, she interviews her family, her coworkers, her confidantes and even her enemies. Through Maher's travels and interviews, we get a cross-sectional look at Pakistani society and Pakistani culture and we get to see just how varied and different it is. Some notable examples include the strong and charasmatic Nighat Dad of the Digital Rights Foundation who tries to help and empower Pakistani women caught up in any kind of cyber abuse and the story of Arshad Khan, a chaiwalla who inadvertently became "Insta-famous" and had no idea what to do with said fame given that he'd never even used the Internet. Through all this, we get a feel for the context in which someone like Qandeel existed and a real feel of the diversity that makes up the fabric of Pakistani society.
Best bits?
Every. single. word. of. it. I know it seems like I'm not sparing the hyperbole here but I really do mean this. I didn't hesitate a moment to pick up this book because like most people, I was so curious about Qandeel and what drove her and Maher does an outstanding job of trying to demystify Qandeel for us. However, the true beauty of Maher's book is in the insights we get into Pakistani culture. Being of South Asian heritage myself, I often struggle with how Pakistan, India and other South Asian countries are appraised through the lens and perspectives of Western writers. It was so refreshing to read about a famous South Asian woman's story from another South Asian woman - someone who gets the nuances and the context. You really get that the story of Qandeel is the story of isolated villages, of class divides and of the 'Me Too' generation.
Any not-so-great bits?
I'll come in again with the hyperbole here: not. a. single. word. of. this. book. wasn't. great!
Verdict?
10/10. Buy this book now. Read this book now. If you enjoy social media or are curious about it in anyway, you will enjoy this book. If you've heard of Qandeel, you will enjoy this book. If you like to read about scandal, you will enjoy this book. If you are curious about modern day Pakistan, you will enjoy this book. If you've never heard of Qandeel and you don't even have a Facebook account, you will enjoy this book and I promise, you will turn the final page of this book feeling richer in mind and in soul.
Check out book reviews and more at my blog: www.thesouthernerblogs.co.uk
August 26, 2019
Powerful, pacy material that, yup, often reads 'like a thriller'.
For me, the most immediate value comes as a bit of a primer on current Pakistan - I knew it was batshit, but I hadn't realised quite how deep the theocracy went and, frankly, how wedded to it people are. Every Iranian I have ever met and their relatives at home look upon their theocracy as a murderous clown show - and they sure as hell aren't praying at 5am. In the Pakistan one sees here, they sound like the positively embrace that. Clerics on TV chat shows. Ritual murder. Social media passwords to your husband.
Take the blue eyed chai-wallah episode, for example. The countless evocations of such and such event being the will of Allah - the job you get, your next booking... It's quite remarkable how strong a hold religion has there. The Enlightenment hasn't happened. It feels like being in a society led by seven-year old school kids: someone saw someone else talking to a boy and perhaps they were kissing - they're going to tell her dad and she's not going to be allowed to come to play group / university anymore. It's puerile. It's obsessed with genitals. It's a Victorian Dad, who's fucking the teenage servant.
Qandeel Balaoch meanwhile: was it ever going to go any other way? Presumably not. Frankly she sounds like a sub-Kardashian (if there is such a thing) moron. Oh, street-wise perhaps - brave, no doubt. And ludicrously attention-seeking and daft ('I love you Imran Khan'; 'How I'm looking?'). But what a fine way to shine a light on the absurdity and moral putrefaction of that society: she was killed, basically, because she wore a bikini. The killers were applauded by large sections of society. What a state. 'Good that she's dead' - listen to yourselves.
One of the many, many reasons I'm a diehard atheist is the belief that if there is a god, he a criminally incompetent, narcissistic prick of a man who lets death cults and nasties lord over the lives of millions of people in his witless, holy name. There are brands of crab paste with more control over their assets and reputation than that. There are brands of crab paste with more moral values than that. Fuck that useless celestial fuckwit.
Top work, Sanam. Stay safe.
For me, the most immediate value comes as a bit of a primer on current Pakistan - I knew it was batshit, but I hadn't realised quite how deep the theocracy went and, frankly, how wedded to it people are. Every Iranian I have ever met and their relatives at home look upon their theocracy as a murderous clown show - and they sure as hell aren't praying at 5am. In the Pakistan one sees here, they sound like the positively embrace that. Clerics on TV chat shows. Ritual murder. Social media passwords to your husband.
Take the blue eyed chai-wallah episode, for example. The countless evocations of such and such event being the will of Allah - the job you get, your next booking... It's quite remarkable how strong a hold religion has there. The Enlightenment hasn't happened. It feels like being in a society led by seven-year old school kids: someone saw someone else talking to a boy and perhaps they were kissing - they're going to tell her dad and she's not going to be allowed to come to play group / university anymore. It's puerile. It's obsessed with genitals. It's a Victorian Dad, who's fucking the teenage servant.
Qandeel Balaoch meanwhile: was it ever going to go any other way? Presumably not. Frankly she sounds like a sub-Kardashian (if there is such a thing) moron. Oh, street-wise perhaps - brave, no doubt. And ludicrously attention-seeking and daft ('I love you Imran Khan'; 'How I'm looking?'). But what a fine way to shine a light on the absurdity and moral putrefaction of that society: she was killed, basically, because she wore a bikini. The killers were applauded by large sections of society. What a state. 'Good that she's dead' - listen to yourselves.
One of the many, many reasons I'm a diehard atheist is the belief that if there is a god, he a criminally incompetent, narcissistic prick of a man who lets death cults and nasties lord over the lives of millions of people in his witless, holy name. There are brands of crab paste with more control over their assets and reputation than that. There are brands of crab paste with more moral values than that. Fuck that useless celestial fuckwit.
Top work, Sanam. Stay safe.
September 11, 2019
Qandeel Baloch garnered quite a bit of attention in her short, but controversial life. Sanam Maher goes to the bones of what turned an ordinary Pakistani village girl called Fouzia into Qandeel. Maher also explores class, gender and sexual mores in South Asia and how the advent of Social Media and Cyber stalking has cost many vulnerable women their reputation as a result.
April 17, 2020
Good reporting, well written. It does also address questions about faith and society as well as how women are treated or seen by society.
June 22, 2018
Read The Full Review Here : https://poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.co...
REVIEWED BY SOHINEE DEY
In the book ‘The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch’, Sanam Maher describes the life of Qandeel and captures the after effects of her death.
Qandeel Baloch, an internet sensation had captured the attention of many people worldwide with her “bold” videos. Who knew she would be found dead just after six months to her rise to fame. Journalist Sanam Maher has done an extensive amount of research to find out the reason behind the death of Qandeel and why would someone opt for Honour Killing which was relevant back in 2016 until the constitutional bill was passed. The book breezes through the life of Qandeel and what happens after her death and the way people try to justify “Jo Hua Acche Ke Liye Hua” (whatever have conspired, it was for the good).
Sanam Maher had adeptly traced Qandeel’s life and given all the details about her life. From people around her and what were their thoughts on the incidence to getting inside Qandeel’s head and expressing her views, this book is so much more than just a biography.
I was completely hooked to the book and for a person who doesn’t enjoy non-fiction much, I loved this book so much! It was such an eye opening read for me. I loved the narration, loved the writing style of the author and even though the plotline was switching from before and after the incidence, nowhere did it feel abrupt or incomplete.
I would definitely recommend this book to Non-fiction lovers, people who like reading books on social issues and autobiographies.
POESY IN CHRYSALIS RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For more reviews and bookish posts, follow my blog at www.poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.com. For review enquiries and collaborations, write to me at query.sohinee@gmail.com
REVIEWED BY SOHINEE DEY
In the book ‘The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch’, Sanam Maher describes the life of Qandeel and captures the after effects of her death.
Qandeel Baloch, an internet sensation had captured the attention of many people worldwide with her “bold” videos. Who knew she would be found dead just after six months to her rise to fame. Journalist Sanam Maher has done an extensive amount of research to find out the reason behind the death of Qandeel and why would someone opt for Honour Killing which was relevant back in 2016 until the constitutional bill was passed. The book breezes through the life of Qandeel and what happens after her death and the way people try to justify “Jo Hua Acche Ke Liye Hua” (whatever have conspired, it was for the good).
Sanam Maher had adeptly traced Qandeel’s life and given all the details about her life. From people around her and what were their thoughts on the incidence to getting inside Qandeel’s head and expressing her views, this book is so much more than just a biography.
I was completely hooked to the book and for a person who doesn’t enjoy non-fiction much, I loved this book so much! It was such an eye opening read for me. I loved the narration, loved the writing style of the author and even though the plotline was switching from before and after the incidence, nowhere did it feel abrupt or incomplete.
I would definitely recommend this book to Non-fiction lovers, people who like reading books on social issues and autobiographies.
POESY IN CHRYSALIS RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For more reviews and bookish posts, follow my blog at www.poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.com. For review enquiries and collaborations, write to me at query.sohinee@gmail.com
May 7, 2019
A book about the life and very tragic death of Qandeel Baloch which gripped a whole nation. The book also covers the showbiz industry of Pakistan, the things that girls from poor backgrounds need to do to survive in that profession. The atrocities of tribal honor killings and the menace of cyber harassment in modern Pakistan is also covered in detail, and what is being done to combat them.
A thoroughly researched book and interesting to read, but I think it could have been written better. Parts of it seem to be all over the place without a proper flow. There are inconsistencies in the writing which distract you from the actual idea that the author is trying to convey.
A thoroughly researched book and interesting to read, but I think it could have been written better. Parts of it seem to be all over the place without a proper flow. There are inconsistencies in the writing which distract you from the actual idea that the author is trying to convey.
June 1, 2018
what a tremendous book. This isn't a conventional biography, rather it attempts to understand the world Qandeel lived in as much as Qandeel herself. Maher notes in the beginning that Qandeel was a persona created by Fauzia Azeem and avoids from rhapsodizing or trying to slot Qandeel/Fauzia into a neat category. In doing so, perhaps she showed more respect to the deceased than most of us did in her lifetime.
April 10, 2019
I’m going to think about this one for a while and then write a full review. But this book is extremely well written, well researched and talks less what she did as a person and more about the society she lived in.
August 7, 2020
A Woman Like Her is about Qandeel Baloch, who was a social media star in Pakistan. This journalistic piece comes in the wake of her murder in 2016. Qandeel Baloch was murdered in an honour killing by her brother for bringing shame to the family.
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She had become famous or as some people would certainly describe her as notorious for her social media content. She posted various selfies and videos of herself singing, dancing and talking online. She offered to strip tease if Pakistan beat India in the cricket which quickly blew up the internet in Pakistan. She faced a lot of outrage as she was denounced as a "slut", "dishonouring her family", and not behaving as a good Muslim woman should.
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Although this book is about Qandeel it draws out much broader questions as Sanam Maher interviews the various people that were involved in Qandeel's life. She encourages the reader to question who was really involved in the murder, how has the state handled the murder, and how does the state of Pakistan continue to deal with honour killings. Do we really have all answers to who murdered Qandeel Baloch?
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She examines the power and influence of the media and the impact it had on Qandeel's life. This feels particularly relevant globally as we continue to see women crucified in the media: Meghan Markle and Caroline Flack to name just two. This book raises questions about how women are treated in the media, how women engage with the digital age and the expectations of women online. Especially when this is layered with the religious and cultural traditions of Pakistan.
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Sanam Maher builds an interesting and thoroughly immersive journalistic piece that centres on the death of Qandeel Baloch but questions so much more. She encourages the reader to question their first impressions and dig deeper into what isn't being said; it makes for a very clever but important piece of journalism.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
She had become famous or as some people would certainly describe her as notorious for her social media content. She posted various selfies and videos of herself singing, dancing and talking online. She offered to strip tease if Pakistan beat India in the cricket which quickly blew up the internet in Pakistan. She faced a lot of outrage as she was denounced as a "slut", "dishonouring her family", and not behaving as a good Muslim woman should.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Although this book is about Qandeel it draws out much broader questions as Sanam Maher interviews the various people that were involved in Qandeel's life. She encourages the reader to question who was really involved in the murder, how has the state handled the murder, and how does the state of Pakistan continue to deal with honour killings. Do we really have all answers to who murdered Qandeel Baloch?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
She examines the power and influence of the media and the impact it had on Qandeel's life. This feels particularly relevant globally as we continue to see women crucified in the media: Meghan Markle and Caroline Flack to name just two. This book raises questions about how women are treated in the media, how women engage with the digital age and the expectations of women online. Especially when this is layered with the religious and cultural traditions of Pakistan.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Sanam Maher builds an interesting and thoroughly immersive journalistic piece that centres on the death of Qandeel Baloch but questions so much more. She encourages the reader to question their first impressions and dig deeper into what isn't being said; it makes for a very clever but important piece of journalism.
April 26, 2022
I really wanted this book to be a powerful expose on the harassment Quandeel Baloch had been subjected to, and a gateway to her innermost thoughts and who she was, provided to the author by those closest to her. I even had some hopes that the author, coming from Pakistan (I believe?) would have had encounters with Quandeel in the past through journalistic ventures, and those might be reflected upon in the book.
However, we cannot blame the author for not knowing Quandeel, nor ever meeting her personally before her tragic death. What we CAN blame her for though is a very, very, messy book. For example, when a female police officer she quotes in the book asks for Maher's thoughts, I kind of expected... well, the author to follow up briefly with her thoughts? Not even necessarily to the female police officer, but to the readers. I don't know what else to say except that it's just not well-written. The biggest problem is that it's all over the place and while it covers relevant issues in Pakistan, and issues related to Quandeel's case and the people involved in those issues - it covers them far more extensively than it covers anything related to Quandeel herself.
For instance, the chapters on Quandeel only seem to cover a specific YouTube video, and what was in the video, what Quandeel's producer and friend Mec had to say on the video, and an offering of all the hateful comments left on the videos. That's interesting and all, but it's something everyone reading this book is already well aware of. There's literally nothing in this book on Quandeel that you can't find on YouTube.
While the chapter on Quandeel's video with Mufti Qavi (a cleric from the village of Multan) was 13 pages in length, the following chapter "The Mufti" was 22 pages. Here's a sample from the chapter: "Abdul Qavi and his three sisters were born and raised in Multan, as was his father and his father before him, and so on for decades. His family can still trace its lineage in the city back 300 years, he says. The fifty-nine-year-old cleric still lives there with his wife, his three daughters and their children, in a small house located in the back of the Darul Uloom Ubaidia, the madrassa that he runs in Multan's Quadirabad neighbourhood." And then proceeds for the next entire page or so to give the detailed directions to his place, and how the author got lost in her attempt to find it. The chapter before Quandeel's video was a 37 page chapter on a helpline created by a woman for women experiencing cyber harassment.
Is this information important? Of course. Relevant? Yes. Is it necessary to go into the details of the helpline's founder, how she was once a former law student, how her degree in law and time as a lawyer enabled her to take a course in Internet governance and found this site? No, not for 37 pages! Maybe for a couple pages. Yet, rather than things like this being footnotes in the story of Quandeel Baloch's life, it was Quandeel who was the footnote in this book.
There's just absolutely nothing to be learned about Quandeel, aside from what we already know. Just that she "was rebellious from a young age" and "wanted to be famous". That pretty much sums it up. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the book may not have been so bad if it were a book based around Pakistan's treatment of women online, cyber harassment, and honor killings... but for a book that promises to tell the story of Quandeel Baloch? I learned nothing. I only give it two stars because there was important information in there concerning women's rights. Save yourself the money and watch a documentary on YouTube instead - I guarantee you will learn more.
However, we cannot blame the author for not knowing Quandeel, nor ever meeting her personally before her tragic death. What we CAN blame her for though is a very, very, messy book. For example, when a female police officer she quotes in the book asks for Maher's thoughts, I kind of expected... well, the author to follow up briefly with her thoughts? Not even necessarily to the female police officer, but to the readers. I don't know what else to say except that it's just not well-written. The biggest problem is that it's all over the place and while it covers relevant issues in Pakistan, and issues related to Quandeel's case and the people involved in those issues - it covers them far more extensively than it covers anything related to Quandeel herself.
For instance, the chapters on Quandeel only seem to cover a specific YouTube video, and what was in the video, what Quandeel's producer and friend Mec had to say on the video, and an offering of all the hateful comments left on the videos. That's interesting and all, but it's something everyone reading this book is already well aware of. There's literally nothing in this book on Quandeel that you can't find on YouTube.
While the chapter on Quandeel's video with Mufti Qavi (a cleric from the village of Multan) was 13 pages in length, the following chapter "The Mufti" was 22 pages. Here's a sample from the chapter: "Abdul Qavi and his three sisters were born and raised in Multan, as was his father and his father before him, and so on for decades. His family can still trace its lineage in the city back 300 years, he says. The fifty-nine-year-old cleric still lives there with his wife, his three daughters and their children, in a small house located in the back of the Darul Uloom Ubaidia, the madrassa that he runs in Multan's Quadirabad neighbourhood." And then proceeds for the next entire page or so to give the detailed directions to his place, and how the author got lost in her attempt to find it. The chapter before Quandeel's video was a 37 page chapter on a helpline created by a woman for women experiencing cyber harassment.
Is this information important? Of course. Relevant? Yes. Is it necessary to go into the details of the helpline's founder, how she was once a former law student, how her degree in law and time as a lawyer enabled her to take a course in Internet governance and found this site? No, not for 37 pages! Maybe for a couple pages. Yet, rather than things like this being footnotes in the story of Quandeel Baloch's life, it was Quandeel who was the footnote in this book.
There's just absolutely nothing to be learned about Quandeel, aside from what we already know. Just that she "was rebellious from a young age" and "wanted to be famous". That pretty much sums it up. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the book may not have been so bad if it were a book based around Pakistan's treatment of women online, cyber harassment, and honor killings... but for a book that promises to tell the story of Quandeel Baloch? I learned nothing. I only give it two stars because there was important information in there concerning women's rights. Save yourself the money and watch a documentary on YouTube instead - I guarantee you will learn more.
November 16, 2019
The moment i heard that a book was launched on Pakistan's first social media star who was killed for honor, i knew i had to get it. I bought 'The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch' for 1135 Pkr from a local bookstore, and dove into the book headfirst.
My initial thoughts were; Why is there even a need to waste so many words on a woman who couldn't respect what her religion taught her, a woman who couldn't respect the boundaries set by her country, who couldn't praise the efforts by her ancestors who sacrificed their lives in the name of establishing an 'Islamic' state. Why not write a book on people like Junaid Jamshed, Aarfa Kareem or Tariq Jameel sahab , people who actually tore away from the boundaries and bought fame and prosperity to the people of their country.
I read on, and one thing i discovered was, this writer right here is a darn good one. She's intelligent, she's not commenting on Qandeel neither is she expressing her views if she did wrong or right. Maher's smart.
Through this book i got to know more about Qandeel Baloch, information i didn't knew i needed about her until i read it. Maher talks about not only Qandeel but other rising issues such as cyber crime, suicides and identity protection.
This book provides an insight to the people of Pakistan, about the sensational life and death of Qandeel Baloch, who rose as a bold social media star and achieved fame due to partially nude videos and her fake accent. It let's reader be the judge of her life, wheather what she did was wrong or right.
I finished this book and my conclusion was; you don't need to go nude and hurt the sentiment of people, the ideology of your religion, to prove yourself a 'feminist' or a woman with power, or to be popular. Benazir Bhutto, Arfa Kareem, Fatima Jinnah, Nasira Iqbal, Naseem Hameed, these are just a few women of the many who tore away from the chains of what society deemed acceptable, but still managed not to hurt the sentiments of people around them. They were famous, they didn't sit at home and rot away, they did something big, but in the confines of their religion and with dignity.
This book tells people, especially women, to break the chains and do something good, become popular if you want. But don't play with religion, or the emotions of people. Respect what you were born with, born in. Kudos to Sanam Maher for the fine, fine prose, i rate it 5 stars.
My initial thoughts were; Why is there even a need to waste so many words on a woman who couldn't respect what her religion taught her, a woman who couldn't respect the boundaries set by her country, who couldn't praise the efforts by her ancestors who sacrificed their lives in the name of establishing an 'Islamic' state. Why not write a book on people like Junaid Jamshed, Aarfa Kareem or Tariq Jameel sahab , people who actually tore away from the boundaries and bought fame and prosperity to the people of their country.
I read on, and one thing i discovered was, this writer right here is a darn good one. She's intelligent, she's not commenting on Qandeel neither is she expressing her views if she did wrong or right. Maher's smart.
Through this book i got to know more about Qandeel Baloch, information i didn't knew i needed about her until i read it. Maher talks about not only Qandeel but other rising issues such as cyber crime, suicides and identity protection.
This book provides an insight to the people of Pakistan, about the sensational life and death of Qandeel Baloch, who rose as a bold social media star and achieved fame due to partially nude videos and her fake accent. It let's reader be the judge of her life, wheather what she did was wrong or right.
I finished this book and my conclusion was; you don't need to go nude and hurt the sentiment of people, the ideology of your religion, to prove yourself a 'feminist' or a woman with power, or to be popular. Benazir Bhutto, Arfa Kareem, Fatima Jinnah, Nasira Iqbal, Naseem Hameed, these are just a few women of the many who tore away from the chains of what society deemed acceptable, but still managed not to hurt the sentiments of people around them. They were famous, they didn't sit at home and rot away, they did something big, but in the confines of their religion and with dignity.
This book tells people, especially women, to break the chains and do something good, become popular if you want. But don't play with religion, or the emotions of people. Respect what you were born with, born in. Kudos to Sanam Maher for the fine, fine prose, i rate it 5 stars.
May 28, 2018
She rose to fame through her videos posted on various social media, often termed as vile, vulgar, and unislamic by those who kept a vigil at the online activities of anyone who didn't conform. Qandeel Baloch soon started garnering a lot of attention, both nationally and internationally, and she was hated as much as admired for her courage to defy norms, and do what she pleased. Having been on the receiving end of exhaustive threats, and abuses, Qandeel feared for her life. She felt scared. She knew she didn't have any support, and that her life would end. But no one knew it would be so soon.
In July 2016, Qandeel Baloch, Pakistan's celebrity by social media was found dead in her house. Her brother, Mohammed Waseem, shamed by her 'online presence', and the attention she was getting, strangled her in their family home. He feels no remorse, no sorrow. He believes he has restored his family's reputation and image. He smiles at the cameras while being interviewed, often openly bragging about his murder scheme, not letting anyone take credit for his master-plan. On being asked if he was ashamed, he remarks,' No. I have no shame. I am Baloch.' Qandeel's parents, shocked and horrified, accused their sons of conspiring to murder their daughter and lodged an FIR.
To read the full review click here: https://t.co/ihwUaQ6e2R
In July 2016, Qandeel Baloch, Pakistan's celebrity by social media was found dead in her house. Her brother, Mohammed Waseem, shamed by her 'online presence', and the attention she was getting, strangled her in their family home. He feels no remorse, no sorrow. He believes he has restored his family's reputation and image. He smiles at the cameras while being interviewed, often openly bragging about his murder scheme, not letting anyone take credit for his master-plan. On being asked if he was ashamed, he remarks,' No. I have no shame. I am Baloch.' Qandeel's parents, shocked and horrified, accused their sons of conspiring to murder their daughter and lodged an FIR.
To read the full review click here: https://t.co/ihwUaQ6e2R
May 26, 2019
This is a well written book, that offers a mix of view points and perspectives on the matter.
What comes through and is at the very least my takeaway, is the alarming fact that there are places still so regressive in the world where religion, culture, tradition justify murder quite easily to the minds of its people.
Saddened by the account. This should not have happened and also, there doesn't seem to be any hope that this will not happen again. In fact, it is already happening.
Qandeel Baloch gained immense fame in death but all for the wrong reasons. There can be no redemption in this.
I am reminded of that poignant tear-jerker of a line, from The Book Thief, which as closing sentences go is up there in the hall of fame, 'Death: I am haunted by humans'.
What comes through and is at the very least my takeaway, is the alarming fact that there are places still so regressive in the world where religion, culture, tradition justify murder quite easily to the minds of its people.
Saddened by the account. This should not have happened and also, there doesn't seem to be any hope that this will not happen again. In fact, it is already happening.
Qandeel Baloch gained immense fame in death but all for the wrong reasons. There can be no redemption in this.
I am reminded of that poignant tear-jerker of a line, from The Book Thief, which as closing sentences go is up there in the hall of fame, 'Death: I am haunted by humans'.
February 12, 2022
"The Sensational Life & Death of Qandeel Baloch" by Sanam Maher
Have been meaning to read this book for a very long time now. I don't clearly remember following Qandeel Baloch's news while she was alive, but her honour killing had been big news and I vividly remember being jolted when I'd read it. Qandeel was quite a controversial personality in Pakistan and I think what made her famous in India was her social media post promising to perform a striptease if Pakistan won against India in a T20 cricket match. Qandeel also performed in a music video which was very bold, even by Indian standards. So, for Pakistan it must have been scandalous! Not to mention her very controversial pictures with a Muslim cleric, which would not only seem distasteful to the Pakistani public, but also ruffle feathers in the world of clerics and religious gundas.
This book does offer a complete overview of Qandeel's life, starting from her humble origins in Shah Sadar Din to her struggling days, to her social media infamy and finally her murder at the hands of the brother whom she supported financially to start a small shop. The book brings in other characters too, the journalist who broke this news, another struggling model whose life in the modelling world in Pakistan must have been similar to that of Qandeel and some general statistics and figures of crimes against women, particularly cyber crimes.
I am not sure if these additional bits made the book more comprehensive, or took away from the story of the prime person- Qandeel. It would have been fine if the book was on the status of women overall, with a chapter dedicated to Qandeel, but this was meant to be her book. I do realize that there can only be so much information about a person who is dead and was not given much respect while she was alive, but, still. I felt the book fell short of my expectations.
🌟🌟🌟 (Feb'22)
@the_bookish_islander on Instagram
Have been meaning to read this book for a very long time now. I don't clearly remember following Qandeel Baloch's news while she was alive, but her honour killing had been big news and I vividly remember being jolted when I'd read it. Qandeel was quite a controversial personality in Pakistan and I think what made her famous in India was her social media post promising to perform a striptease if Pakistan won against India in a T20 cricket match. Qandeel also performed in a music video which was very bold, even by Indian standards. So, for Pakistan it must have been scandalous! Not to mention her very controversial pictures with a Muslim cleric, which would not only seem distasteful to the Pakistani public, but also ruffle feathers in the world of clerics and religious gundas.
This book does offer a complete overview of Qandeel's life, starting from her humble origins in Shah Sadar Din to her struggling days, to her social media infamy and finally her murder at the hands of the brother whom she supported financially to start a small shop. The book brings in other characters too, the journalist who broke this news, another struggling model whose life in the modelling world in Pakistan must have been similar to that of Qandeel and some general statistics and figures of crimes against women, particularly cyber crimes.
I am not sure if these additional bits made the book more comprehensive, or took away from the story of the prime person- Qandeel. It would have been fine if the book was on the status of women overall, with a chapter dedicated to Qandeel, but this was meant to be her book. I do realize that there can only be so much information about a person who is dead and was not given much respect while she was alive, but, still. I felt the book fell short of my expectations.
🌟🌟🌟 (Feb'22)
@the_bookish_islander on Instagram
May 19, 2020
"A Woman Like Her" is a very familiar story. It's the story of a woman who fought against all odds to become a nation's sensation. It's the story of Rakhi Sawant, Silk Smitha, Veena Malik and Poonam Pandey, women who grew up in small towns but shot to fame as they titillated and captured the imagination of entire countries. These are women who had so much to lose and yet they pursued fame and complicated the way we thought of women. For Qandeel, it meant losing her son, her family and eventually, her life. In telling her story, Sanam Maher offers such a thoughtful exploration of the circumstances that made and un-made Qandeel. Highly recommend!
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