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Killing of Noor Alsaffar
Death of Iraqi social media influencer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In September 2023, Iraqi social media personality Noor Alsaffar, known as Noor BM, (b. 2000),[1] was shot three times by a gunman in the Mansour district of Baghdad, killing him.[2][3][4][5]
As of April 2024, no one had been charged for the murder and the crime is "under investigation".[6]
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Background
In 2020, during an interview with the Alwalaa channel, Alsaffar described himself as a cross-dresser, stating that: "I’m not transgender and I’m not gay. I don’t have other tendencies, I’m only a cross-dresser and a model." This led to online abuse.[7] At the time of his murder in 2023, Alsaffar had over 370,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, which were mostly used to post beauty and Get Ready With Me content.[8]
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Killing
Alsaffar's killing took place during the day, and was recorded on neighbouring CCTV.[9]
Reactions
IraQueer, an Iraqi LGBTQ+ rights group, condemned the killing of "the queer Iraqi vlogger Nour BM".[7] Remembering Our Dead, a website supporting Trans Day of Remembrance, described Alsaffar as "gender-nonconforming", but stated that how Alsaffar viewed their gender at the time of their death is not known.[10]
The shooting is one of several targeted attacks on social media personalities in Iraq, some of whom were identified as members of LGBTQ+ communities.[11] It is part of a wider increase in homophobia and transphobia in Iraq, which includes the burning of the rainbow flag,[8] a ban on media organisations in using the term 'homosexuality' - stipulating that 'sexual deviance' should be used instead,[12] the criminalisation of same-sex relationships,[13] and the deliberate digital targeting of LGBTQ+ people.[14][15]
See also
- Killing of Umm Fahad, homicide of another Iraqi social media personality
References
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