The security source from Iraq’s TikTok community informed CNN that a well-liked TikTok user from Iraq was killed by gunfire in Baghdad on Monday.
On social media, Noor Alsaffar, who goes by the name “Noor BM,” had more than 370,000 people following them on Instagram and TikTok combined. Alsaffar mostly uploaded short videos of dresses, hairstyles, and makeup looks. She would often dance along to music. After hearing about the shooting, a lot of people wrote comments expressing their sadness about Alsaffar’s death. Others were happy and showed their support for the man who shot the gun.
The CNN was told by someone from the Iraqi security that they have started looking into something. The person wanted to remain anonymous because they weren’t allowed to talk to the media. “The dead person has been brought to the science department for investigation. ”
On Tuesday, Khaled Almehna, who speaks for the Iraqi police, said that the attack was a “criminal incident. ” He also said that he will give more information at a later time.
The killing happened because Iraq is taking harsh actions against people who express themselves as LGBTQ and is trying to make it illegal. Being queer is not clearly prohibited by Iraq’s current laws, but LGBTQ individuals are frequently singled out and persecuted based on ambiguous morality rules in its penal code.
Before the shooting started, Alsaffar was subjected to mean or hurtful comments and questions on the internet. These comments and questions were specifically about Alsaffar’s sexuality and gender. In a 2020 interview on Iraq’s Al Walaa channel, Alsaffar stated that he is not transgender or gay. I don’t have any other preferences, I simply like to wear clothes of the opposite gender and work as a model. Alsaffar saw themselves as a man and also worked in the fashion industry doing makeup.
Alsaffar talked in videos about dealing with problems on social media because of what people wear.
During a YouTube interview in 2021, Alsaffar said that they were cautious but not scared in response to a question about how the TikToker looked.
The Iraqi group for LGBTQ rights called IraQueer talked about Alsaffar’s death on X (previously known as Twitter). They used hashtags like #Transphobia and #MuderOfTransPeople.
The Iraqi parliament has suggested a new law that makes gay sex, transgender expression, and other LGBTQ behavior against the law. If this is approved, it would mean that people who are in same-sex relationships could be sentenced to death or life in prison. It would also mean that people who support or encourage homosexuality could face a minimum of seven years in jail. Additionally, it would be illegal for people to behave or dress in a way that is considered to imitate women, and they could be sentenced to up to three years in prison for doing so.
Rights groups say that there has been an increase in violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people in the country recently. People in the country have been protesting. Most of the people protesting are supporters of a group called Shiite Muslims. They have been burning a special flag called the rainbow flag. They are doing this because some people in Sweden and Denmark burned a holy book called the Quran. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated that there is a problem of people mistreating and hurting LGBTQ individuals in Iraq, and those responsible are often not punished for their actions.
Iraq’s media regulator made a rule in August that the word “homosexuality” cannot be used in any form of media, including social media. Instead, they said people should use the phrase “sexual deviance” instead.
Human rights organizations are upset about the increasing oppression faced by LGBTQ communities in the Middle East. For example, Human Rights Watch discovered that LGBTQ individuals are being singled out online based on their digital activities.
In February, a group that protects people’s rights stated that in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia, LGBTQ rights violations happen online and are often followed by harsh punishments like being randomly held in custody and physically harmed.
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