Deadly popularity: Why are Instagram models dying?

In Islamic countries, popularity in social networks can be deadly. This is especially true for girls who have chosen the path of Instagram models. Every year, women who do not want to obey Sharia law and openly demonstrate their beauty and outlook on life die at the hands of supporters of Muslim traditions.

In September 2018, the world was shocked by the brutal and senseless murder of 22-year-old Tara Fares, the winner of the title "Miss Baghdad 2015". The beauty was a popular Instagram model not only in Iraq, but throughout the Middle East. She had been receiving threats from radical Muslims for a long time, but Tara ignored them.

The death of Tara Fares, who was shot in broad daylight almost in the center of Baghdad in the cabin of her own car, once again confirms that candid photos in Islamic countries are not only condemned by society, but also deadly. Many Instagram models, after the murder of Fares, were forced to stop their activities or began to carefully hide their occupation.

Death in a white "Porshe"

Tara Fares was not a native of Iraq — her homeland was the United Arab Emirates, from where she and her parents moved to Baghdad as a child. In 2015, having won the title of "Miss Baghdad", the girl moved to Erbil, a city in the Kurdish Autonomy located in northern Iraq. It was safer in the capital of Kurdistan — the residents of the city had more progressive views, and life here was in many ways similar to European.

Having settled in Erbil, Tara began active activity as an Instagram model, posting a lot of pictures in the most daring images. In a country where it is considered a sin to publish a photo with a bare head, the bows of a girl with bright makeup, in revealing outfits and swimsuits, were shocking for many. In addition, Fares' hands were covered with tattoos, which is very unusual in the Middle East.

Bright appearance and unusual image of a sexy beauty for Iraq made Tara Fares a popular Instagram blogger in the country. At the beginning of autumn 2018, her page ranked 6th in popularity in Iraq, with 2.7 million subscribers.

So the girl wrote on her Instagram page two months before her death. This was not her only statement criticizing the situation in the country — Fares was not afraid to share her opinion about various events with subscribers before.

Although Tara died 3 months ago, her murder has not yet been solved. Shortly before her death, the girl often visited Baghdad. This city, the most radical in the country, was the least safe place for the model, especially since threats against her had become much more frequent by that time.

On September 27, after lunch, Tara Fares was sitting in the driver's seat of her white Porsche in one of the crowded residential quarters of the Iraqi capital. There is information that the girl was looking for a house for her family in this area, because, for some reason, she decided to return to Baghdad.

An unknown person shot at Tara through the window of her car and disappeared. Eyewitnesses of the crime immediately called an ambulance and tried to give the girl first aid, but she died before the arrival of doctors. A video taken immediately after the attack got on YouTube on it you can see Fares, covered in blood, being transported to an intensive care vehicle.

The murder caused a great resonance both in Iraq and in other countries of the region. Iraqi Interior Minister Qasim Mohammad Jalal al-Araji (Qassem al-Araji) said that the crime is not an attack by a lone fanatic, but a planned operation backed by an extremist group. The official also added that the investigation was taken under his personal control and the perpetrators would certainly be found and punished.

This statement repeats almost word for word the promises made by the Minister a few days earlier, after the treacherous murder of a human rights activist Suad al-Ali, who was shot dead in broad daylight on the street in Basra. Also in August, many statements were made about the death of two owners of beauty salons who died under strange circumstances with an interval of a week.

There is a possibility that the four deaths of famous women in the Middle East are just a fatal coincidence. In Iraq, which has been torn apart by war for many years, the death of a person is not something out of the ordinary. However, no one can dispute the fact that online popularity is deadly for Iraqi women.

Journalist Daryna Sarhan, publisher of LYNX Magazine, one of the few fashion magazines in Iraq, is inclined to believe that the murder of Tara Fares was a consequence of her European lifestyle.

After the death of the Instagram model, the attacks on her did not stop, and not only religious obscurantists, but also popular people in Iraq took part in the disgusting dance on the bones. One of the well-known journalists of the Al Iraqiya TV channel called Fares a whore on the air, and his prank found support in social networks.

Tara's death has affected the lives of other public beauties of the Middle Eastern country. "Miss Iraq 2015" Shimaa Qasim, whose Instagram has 6 million subscribers, published a video in which she complained with tears in her eyes about threats from unknown people. In October, the girl and her family moved to Jordan, fearing for her life and those close to her.

The threats received by Kasim were not anonymous — she was threatened with abduction and reprisal by members of the Islamic State terrorist group. In a recent media interview, Shimaa suggested that if she had not left Iraq, she would most likely have been dead by now.

The East is a delicate matter

If extremists are arranging terror for Instagram models in Iraq, then in neighboring Iran the state itself copes with this task quite well. In July, police arrested Maedeh Hojabri, an 18-year-old gymnast who posted a video on Instagram in which she dances at home. Also, several other bloggers, whose names are unknown, were detained for "violation of moral norms".

The accounts of all those taken into custody were blocked, and after a while the speech of the violators appeared on national television, who publicly apologized for their inappropriate behavior. Is it worth saying that all statements were made under pressure?

After Iran turned from a monarchy into a republic in 1979, everything related to sex was banned. Censorship first concerned cinema, television and pop, and after the advent of the world Wide web and publications in social networks. Facebook Instagram and Twitter are still working in a country where many websites are banned, but everyone understands perfectly well that censorship will soon lay its paw on them too. Instagram accounts, as can be seen from the situation with Khojabrib, are already blocked at the discretion of the authorities.

Oddly enough, in the United Arab Emirates located nearby, although there are some norms of behavior, but no one controls the activities of bloggers on Instagram. Cities like Dubai and Doha with their fashionable malls and grandiose skyscrapers are simply created for selfies and Instagram-models feel at home here. According to experts, UAE girls earn at least $ 20 million using their social media accounts, and this figure is constantly growing.

Moreover, in March 2018, the authorities of the Emirates offered the models to legalize their business by purchasing two separate licenses, with a total cost of 8 thousand dollars. Violators face not death or arrest, but a fine of $ 1,300 and account blocking.