Veena Malik was born and raised Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.
Malik was raised a Muslim.[1] And judging from some of her tweets, she still keeps the faith in some way or another. For example, she tweeted in celebration of the Muslim holiday, Eid-ul-Azha Mubarak:
Eid-ul-Azha Mubarak to the entire Muslim world….may God bless us all!!![2]
But a quick Google Images search reveals pictures counter to the average Westerner's conception of Islam. And Malik has found herself at odds with Muslims (at least in Pakistan) an numerous occasions. Appearing nude on the cover of FHM Magazine India was more than a little controversial. She was condemned by traditional Muslims across Pakistan and her father even disowned her.[3]
Her participation in a "Bachelor"-like reality TV show in which she will compete for a man's hand in marriage resulted in a fatwa against her and excommunication by at least one Indian Muslim organization.[4]
But the worst of it seemed to be her appearance on a reality show in which she competed to stay in a house with other contestants while being filmed 24 hours a day. After filming stopped, she was interviewed by a Muslim journalist and a cleric who chastised her on live television for her "anti-Islamic" ways. She got fed up and started laying into the cleric for the hypocrisies of Islam in Pakistan. Forgive the long quote, but it's just too good:
If you want to work for the glory of Islam, there are plenty of opportunities for you. What are politicians doing? Bribery, thievery and killing in the name of Islam. There are so many things to talk about there. Why Veena Malik? Because Veena Malik is a woman? …There are many other things for you to be attending to. There are Islamic clerics who are raping the very children who they are supposed to be teaching in their mosques and so much more.[5]
Let's just call her a non-traditional Muslim, shall we? Unless anyone disputes, of course.
Let's just move society along if we can
Malik follows politics and has no fear endorsing her favorites. Not surprisingly, her favorites seem to be relatively liberal, in opposition to the prevalent Muslim traditionalism in Pakistan and perhaps even pro-United States. One politician who embodies all of those things, Imran Khan, she endorsed while condenming the current regime:
The current leadership is a disappointment. The Sharif camp's ratings have declined. If there is any hope for Pakistan, it's Imran Khan. We must give him a chance. He told a conservative Pakistan that partying and having relationships don't have a bearing on one's work.[6]
She went on to praise Khan's foreign policy, saying:
He handled the U.S. tactfully, he started Pakistan's war against terror, and above all, he improved relations with India.[7]
And she must follow U.S. politics, because apparently she does mean impressions of both Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice.[8]
Now, I'll admit, I'm not as boned-up as I'd like to be on the details of India/Pakistan politics, but judging from Malik's twitter feed, she is, and she'll tweet about it on a regular basis. Check it out and feel free to fill in anything I've left out in the comments.
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