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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Roy Greenslade

Pakistan magazine's controversial cover on female suicide bombers

Newsweek Pakistan 'dynamite' cover
Newsweek Pakistan 'dynamite' cover (click for full image). Photograph: Newsweek

The latest cover of a magazine called Newsweek Pakistan is nothing if not controversial.

Under the headline "Lady parts", it carries a provocative image of two tampons in which one is treated as a sort of fuse that leads to an exploding bomb.

The sub-deck says: "More and more women are finding their true calling - as suicide bombers". That is also the headline over the inside story.

Many people who have come across the image online have registered their disgust on Twitter. One called it "the single most insane magazine cover I've ever seen." Another asked: "Is this even real?"

But people who have also taken the trouble to read the article have tended to be more understanding about the decision to use such an image.

It explains why some women feel compelled to offer themselves as bombers, even seeking out the Taliban in order to join their ranks.

The writers also explore how the Taliban goes about selecting women to take on suicide missions and the problems confronting the Pakistan authorities in trying to persuade women not to become involved.

Newsweek Pakistan is published by Associated Group (AG) Publications under licence from the US publisher of Newsweek/Daily Beast. It was launched in 2010. (Newsweek in the US stopped publishing at the end of last year).

Sources: Newsweek Pakistan/Buzzfeed

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