Lashes out for banning her Twitter account.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: After having her Twitter account banned by the Pakistani government for containing “blasphemous [and] unethical” content, Duke University student-turned-porn star Miriam Weeks has spoken out about what she sees as the country’s anti-feminist and anti-modernity crusade.
Weeks, who goes by the stage named Belle Knox, lambasted the Pakistani government and its censors for trying to cut her off, saying that it’s because she’s a free and independent woman, which is exactly what Pakistan doesn’t want its females to be. Specifically, she singled out Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) official Abdul Batin for causing the stir.
“I believe Mr. Batin has a problem with me because for whatever reason, I am his poster child: a woman with her own agency and free expression, some icon of perceived cultural degeneration that he feels he can censor to feel better about himself,” Knox said, in an email to Forbes.
“If he thinks I am a soft target, he’s going to be surprised. I stand up for sex workers, and will continue to do so because I feel that often, we’re disregarded as casualties,” she also said.
On May 28, Knox tweeted “Shout out to all my fans in Pakistan: the PTA might not like me, but I like you!” adding a heart symbol at the end of it. Her fans within Pakistan obviously can’t see the message – that is, unless they use proxies or other methods to circumvent the government censors – but it’s clear that Knox will not go down without a fight.
If a user in Pakistan wants to visit Knox’s Twitter account, which was blocked along with two other porn stars’, they are greeted with a message saying “This account has been withheld in Pakistan.” By censoring Twitter, it adds the site to a growing list of censored websites, including Facebook and YouTube, the latter of which has been completely banned for a year and a half.
Weeks, who is half-Indian on her mother’s side, still gets a mixed reception from the online social media community. While many champion her as a crusader for feminist causes – Weeks has said that doing pornography makes her feel good about herself and helps shut down the stigma against sex and female promiscuity – others think she’s simply seeking attention in the worst possible way.
Earlier this year, Weeks, a self-described “Rising porn starlet” on her Twitter page, became a national sensation when it was revealed that she turned to pornography to help pay her exorbitant tuition fees at Duke University. She has been splitting her time between school and her job, and now that she is on summer break, recently announced that she will be hosting a reality show to find the next big porn star – and that she will do a video with the winner.
The Pakistani government, PTA, nor Batin have commented on the brouhaha since it began late last month.
5 Comments
I am sure the Pakistani authorities will be shattered to hear of this. ( Just being sarcastic )
She has every right to say what she feels. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh are notorious for the way they treat women. I worked in Amsterdam and Dubai, the Southern Asians were the ones lined up at night waiting their turn with the prostitutes. These people are the slimiest in the world. They are currently fanning out around the world and looting Western welfare systems. Anyone criticize them and they are termed racist. Well when they finally do take over, we will quickly discover what racist really means.
She has every right to say what she feels. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh are notorious for the way they treat women. I worked in Amsterdam and Dubai, the Southern Asians were the ones lined up at night waiting their turn with the prostitutes. These people are the slimiest in the world. They are currently fanning out around the world and looting Western welfare systems. Anyone criticize them and they are termed racist. Well when they finally do take over, we will quickly discover what racist really means.
James plays with himself for he is pure and a moral person.
This absurd protest by a porn actress is ludicrous, she has no business telling anyone in Pakistan about what they have a right to do or not to do. If Pakistan wants to protect its children from the ravages of porn, it has every right to!
FYI, Ms. Weeks, your ignorance about women’s rights in Pakistan are wrong! Just because your view is limited when reading baseless media accounts or other ignorant twitter comments, it has no basis of fact. The majority of educated, professional females in Pakistan are doing quite well thank you and don’t need you of all people to lecture Pakistan females about the ” a woman with her own agency and free expression,” which in your case is demeaning females as your excuse to rant all sorts of BS about yourself. GET A LIFE! It’s surprising Duke hasn’t kicked you out for degrading and demeaning their Southern conservative culture!