Fasih Ahmed is the editor of Newsweek Pakistan. Or at least he was …
In case you missed it, Fasih Ahmed raised eyebrows everywhere with his tweet about sexual abuse of children and art, which could most charitably be described as bizarre:
https://twitter.com/therealfasih/status/955788565371392006
Hoo boy.
We've got a galaxy braaaaaain https://t.co/MOdAoBudUu
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) January 23, 2018
Oh, well, then that's OK. Pedophile away! https://t.co/tdC1ejWYsf
— Michele Frost (@michelelfrost) January 23, 2018
In another tweet, he did mention Zainab, which refers to Zainab Ansari, a 7-year-old Pakistani girl who was raped and murdered:
Child sexual abuse has always happened, is happening, and will always continue. Two days of outrage on Twitter and participating in a 10-person vigil may make you feel so noble but that’s all just about you, not those who’ve been victimized
— fasih (@therealfasih) January 23, 2018
You know uncles, servants, teachers, cousins, random shopkeepers hurt boys and girls. Did you report them? Did you have the balls to step out of your denial? This is the cause du jour. Default mode denial is just around the corner. Zainab is not a watershed moment
— fasih (@therealfasih) January 23, 2018
But any sort of cogent point he was trying to make pretty much went out the window. Because when Ahmed was confronted …
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Are you in your senses @therealfasih? I doubt your sensibility if your twitter account is not compromised. Sickening
— Mir Rooh Ullah Jan (@hellodrsoul) January 23, 2018
He kind of just made it worse:
https://twitter.com/therealfasih/status/955806060316692480
Ironically, Ahmed may be the one changing fields. Because when Newsweek got wind of what he’d written, they were decidedly not pleased:
Recent tweets by Newsweek Pakistan editor @therealfasih do not represent the views of @Newsweek. We are reviewing our relationship with @NewsweekPak, which operates under a license agreement.
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 24, 2018
Yeesh.
This got ratioed so hard Newsweek was like “you know what, we’re just going to shut that whole thing down." pic.twitter.com/XDwJDrN3D8
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) January 24, 2018
Wtf?!
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 24, 2018
literally what the dudes at newsweek were saying as they saw the replies skyrocket
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) January 24, 2018
This is why now is the time to #jailthejournos
My God
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 24, 2018
maybe this is why the feds had to take their servers away
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) January 24, 2018
No kidding.
Nuke it from orbit.
The only way to be sure.
What the sphincter hell?— Haiku Jonah (@HaikuJonah) January 24, 2018
holy shit.
— The Nats Won The World Series (@EsotericCD) January 24, 2018
“It was batshit crazy— even for us”
— Doctor Facepalm (@DoctorFacepalm) January 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/redthrowaway/status/956002163062317056
Pretty terrible.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional tweets and text.
***
Update:
‘You’re screwed’: Did Newsweek Pakistan editor’s backpedaling just make things WORSE for him?