Om Fahad, a well-known Iraqi social media influencer, was shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle outside her home in Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday, according to Iraqi security officials.
Om Fahad was killed in his car. (X/@MEGTZ1)
Om Fahad was shot by an unidentified assailant in his car in Zayouna district, according to a security official who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak to the media. According to another security source, it seems that the attacker pretended to be a food delivery person, reports AFP. (Also Read: Three Indian women killed in horrific road accident in USA)
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According to the AP, Fahad’s killing occurred in the same neighborhood where Hisham al-Hashimi, a well-known Iraqi security expert and researcher, was shot and killed in 2020. The neighborhood was considered a prominent neighborhood in Baghdad and was home to military officials before the US invasion in 2003. Many militia leaders have moved there in recent years.
Om Fahad gained popularity on TikTok by posting videos of herself dancing to Iraqi music. In February 2023, a court sentenced her to six months in prison for sharing “videos containing obscene speech that undermines modesty and public morality.” The Iraqi government launched a campaign last year to clean up social media content it said violated Iraqi “morality and tradition.”
A Home Office committee has been set up to search TikTok, YouTube and other platforms for clips it deems offensive. So far, according to the authorities, several influential people have been arrested. (Also read: After US drone strike kills pro-Iran commander, Iraq strongly condemns Washington)
Despite years of war and sectarian strife following the 2003 US invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to a semblance of normality.
But civil liberties — for women, sexual minorities and other groups — remain limited in a conservative society.
In 2018, model and influencer Tara Fares was killed by gunmen in Baghdad.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn