The bullying of Muslim women on TikTok is a serious issue that highlights the intersection of online harassment, Islamophobia, and misogyny.
Online, there is a troubling trend of callous trolls bullying Muslim women from Birmingham. Women have disclosed that their photos are being altered in a sexual way or that untrue rumours about them "sleeping around" have been circulated.
This is not your average bullying; there are aspects of honour and shame involved. BirminghamLive heard from anonymous women who described how their families rejected them for "dishonouring themselves."
After being labelled a'slut' and 'whore' on the internet, one distraught woman disclosed that she was suicidal. After being bullied online herself, a London-based anonymous lady has spent the past six months gathering women's tales.
She asserts that because openly discussing sex is frowned upon in their communities, it disproportionately impacts Asian and Muslim women. She also attacks West Midlands Police and TikTok, saying that when the bullying was reported to them, nothing was done.
An anonymous Birmingham woman said: "I am a single mother, a man on TikTok live said I was a bad person. He took my pictures off Facebook like Eid pictures, where my arms and sometimes legs were showing a bit.
"He called me a randi (prostitute) and said men come to my house for my daughter too. This happened over six months and started last year. He doesn't know me and none of these bullies know anyone.
"I reported it to the police but nothing was done, they said report it to TikTok. My cousin sister said everyone is talking about you and this is why your husband left you. She said we want nothing to do with you.
"Everyone says why did you put pictures of yourself up in the first place? Now other women are talking about it, my izzat (honour) is in the water and they have shamed me so much.
"I can't explain how it makes me feel, you don't know what they do. They go after Muslim girls living in Birmingham.
"This is our shame and our children will group up seeing this." After reporting the content to TikTok, the videos were subsequently removed, she claims. Another anonymous woman from Birmingham shared her experience: "I had regular photos on Facebook, like birthday pictures. Someone took them, edited them, and labeled me with offensive names like slut, whore, and randi (prostitute).