Tashfeen Malik Photo: First Photo Of San Bernardino Female Shooter Emerges With Tashfeen’s Alleged ISIS Pledge
Finally, a photo of Tashfeen Malik has been obtained by ABC News, as seen below. Previously, the only photos of Tashfeen as seen on live TV were graphic photos, as reported by Inquisitr, after Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook had been killed in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings. The first photo of Malik published to the ABC News site and accompanying article about Tashfeen details how Tashfeen may have taken a pledge of allegiance to ISIS. In the photo, Tashfeen can be seen wearing traditional head garb. Malik isn’t shown smiling in the photo, but wears a complacent look. The 29-year-old Tashfeen appears to have a mole on her nose in the viral photo of Malik.
#SanBernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik said to have posted pledge of allegiance to ISIS. https://t.co/8ONuijozCZ pic.twitter.com/VCNvMlyqbz
— ABC News (@ABC) December 4, 2015
On Twitter, Tashfeen’s photo is being called the face of terror. While some call it odd that a woman like Malik — especially a new mother — would participate in such a violent act, others are calling it the order of the day for ISIS-inspired extremists. According to social media adherents, the photo of Tashfeen is being passed around encouragingly, because Tashfeen normally wore a veil, reports ABC News.
The photo of Malik will be the first time some of Tashfeen’s own extended family members may have seen her face, since she usually donned a full burqa.
“…Malik was very soft-spoken and conservative — so much that Farook’s brothers never saw her face, due to the full burqa she always wore in public.”
The buzz about Malik and her photo is just how rare it was to obtain. Whereas photos of Syed were eventually tracked down via a dating website profile, photos of Tashfeen were harder to come by. Also, reports that the name Tashfeen is an unusual name for a woman are leading some to believe that Malik might have used an alias. Either way, the photo obtained by ABC News of Tashfeen has been shared approximately 3,000 times in the three hours since the photo of Malik was published online.
In news reports about the tragic San Bernardino shootings, Tashfeen’s photo has usually been represented by an icon or silhouette of a woman. With news that Malik may have sworn allegiance to ISIS at approximately the same time that Syed and Tashfeen went on a rampage that left 14 people dead on Wednesday, as reported by ABC News, the world wants more information about Malik. Chiefly, viewers wanted to see the photo of Tashfeen, and perhaps try and get a glimpse into some sort of rationale behind such a tragic act. Of course, a photo of Malik can’t provide any reasoning behind the senseless tragedy, but digging further into Tashfeen’s background might.
Born in Pakistan, Malik was relocated to Saudi Arabia around 1990, when she was around 4 years old. The Saudi Arabian government source said Tashfeen likely spent her time between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Speculation on why it took so long for Tashfeen’s photo to be released is rampant online. Some believe it’s because of Malik’s attire in the photo and all the implications that it brings, while others think it has something to do with statements circulating that it’s disrespectful to show Tashfeen’s photo since her face isn’t covered. Either way, in the wake of the shooting suspects Malik and Syed killing 14 people, social media users aren’t worried about paying respect to Tashfeen. They are wondering, at this point, if Malik radicalized her husband, or if Syed radicalized Tashfeen.
BREAKING: San Bernardino suspect Tashfeen Malik posted online statement of support for ISIS leader on day of shooting, sources tell @NBCNews
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) December 4, 2015
The old edict states that photos are worth 1,000 words, but the singular photo of Tashfeen leaves more questions. Malik studied at Bahuddin Zakri University in Multan — and was called a brilliant student. The quiet Tashfeen traveled to the U.S. in the summer of 2014 on a “fiancée” visa and even obtained a Green Card. Malik married Farook in August 2014 — and Tashfeen gave birth to a baby daughter six months ago.
As Tashfeen’s photo circulates, the so-dubbed “mother-turned-murderer” is being remembered for Malik and her husband killing 14 people and injuring 21.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
