A 14 year old girl fatally shots her sister while filming TikTok video in Sarai Alamgir town, located in Punjab’s Gujrat district, as reported by ARY News.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and post video content. As per the reports, while the two sisters, Saba Afzal and Maria Afzal were filming a video for the same, they got into an argument after which 14 year old Saba lost her temptr and fatally shot her sister Maria.
The tragic incident is a reflection of a similar tragedy occurred in December when three youngsters died while filming a TikTok video near Sheikhupura district.
The individuals, who were residents of Khanqah Dogran city in Safdarabad Tehsil, met with a tragic accident while recording a TikTok video on a motorcycle. Regrettably, the collision occurred when their attention was diverted, leading to a head-on collision with a car approaching from the opposite direction. This unfortunate incident resulted in the untimely demise of all three young individuals.
On December 24, Jamia Binora Town, a prestigious school in Karachi the capital of Sindh province, issued a fatwa (a religious decree) announcing the use of TikTok illegal and ‘haram’ claiming that it is one of the most distracting thing to exist today. He termed it as the biggest temptation of the modern era, Pakistani vernacular media reported.
An online fatwa issued by Jamia Binoria declares TikTok as a growing threat, branding it ‘fitna’ (temptation) in the contemporary era and deeming it illegal and haram according to Shariah. The fatwa outlines several reasons for its prohibition, including the app’s incorporation of images and videos featuring animals, which is considered forbidden in Sharia. Additionally, the creation and dissemination of explicit videos by women on the platform are highlighted as reasons for its prohibition.
Moreover, the fatwa condemns the practice of both men and women on TikTok producing videos involving dancing and singing, viewing it as a means of promoting obscenity and nudity, ultimately seen as a waste of time leading to moral decay. Jamia Banoria’s fatwa emphasizes that TikTok not only hosts videos that mock scholars and religion but serves as a platform where anything can be subjected to mockery and ridicule.
Religious scholars in the past have consistently called for a ban on TikTok due to its perceived role in spreading immorality, leading to intermittent partial bans in Pakistan. In 2021, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority imposed a five-month ban on TikTok from July to November, which was lifted after assurances from TikTok to implement measures controlling indecent or immoral content on the platform.