- A Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on May 22, leaving only two survivors, according to the Associated Press.
- One of the passengers who is presumed dead is Pakistani model Zara Abid.
- There has been an onslaught of criticism on social media over Abid's career as a model and actress from religious conservatives, according to the BBC.
Pakistani model and actress Zara Abid, one of 97 people presumed dead in a recent plane crash, has been shamed online for her career by religious conservatives.
The plane, operated by Pakistan International Airlines, crashed near Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, on May 22 and left only two survivors, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Only 19 of the bodies have been identified so far, the AP reported. Many passengers will have been travelling for Eid ul-Fitr celebrations, which took place over the weekend.
Abid, 28, was an award-winning model and had been about to debut her first film, "Chaudhry," when the crash took place, according to Times of Islamabad, a Pakistani
She was awarded "best female model" in January at a national showbusiness awards ceremony, the Hum Style Awards, according to the BBC.
However, her social media accounts have all been taken down, the BBC reported, after an onslaught of negative comments about her career as a model.
Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim nation with an increasingly conservative interpretation of the
In a 2017 Gender Gap report by the World Economic Forum, Pakistan was ranked second lowest globally for women's participation in health, education, economy and politics.
One person on Twitter, Zarwan Ali, shared memes that had been shared, and criticized people for using Abid's death as an opportunity "to defend her profession and lifestyle."
—zarwan ali (@ali_zarwan) May 23, 2020
Ali said the criticism "can't be defended," and urged people to pray for her anyway.
The memes included Islamic sayings which suggest that "immoral" behavior will be punished in the afterlife and criticized women who are "clothed but naked" by walking in an enticing way.
Another person with the Twitter handle Irfan said: "ALLAH Pak doesn't like those women who are showing their body parts to everyone and jannat [heaven] is only for pure men and pure women."
Abid was generally pictured in clothes and poses that would be considered normal to western liberal eyes, but could be seen as revealing in Pakistan. She wore evening gowns, jeans and occasionally swimwear.
Irfan's message was shared more than 1,300 times and liked around 1,000 times. It was accompanied by
—Irfan (@Irfan12165162) May 22, 2020
There has, however, been a backlash to the comments, with many tweets in English using the hashtag #ZaraAbid to warn people against rushing to judgment.
Using the hashtag, Turkish model Esra Bilgiç tweeted that "Allah honors whom He wills," adding: "None of us know who is closer to God. Stop judging people and focus on your actions."
—Esra Bilgiç (@esrrabilgic) May 23, 2020
One Twitter user said: "A young woman died a horrible death, and our nation is busy debating either she is jannati or jahanumi [headed to heaven or hell]... Who are you to decide .. don't talk ill if you cannot empathize .."
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