Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
NEW DELHI—Shock, anger, outrage, and disbelief sum up the mood at the online protest against the auction of Muslim women on the `Bulli Bai’ app.
There was a consensus that women should come forward and speak up against the humiliation irrespective of their religious affiliation. “ Lado Ya Maro (fight or die),” said Khalida Parveen, the 67-year-old woman who was one of the hundreds put up for auction on Bulli Bai.
She said she was not ashamed because she had not committed any crime. “I do not feel I am a victim. I am a targeted woman. I am not ashamed. I have not committed a crime. You can well understand the diseased mindset when they put up 67-year-old women for auction. I am a grandmother. Don’t they have mothers and grandmothers? So I have decided to fight it out,” said Khalida, the general secretary of Amoomat Society.
She was speaking at a national online protest gathering,`Nari Ka Samaan, Desh Ka Abhiman’, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Thursday evening.
“Calls are being given to pardoning the accused. Some say the accused is 18 and an orphan. Even Javid Akhtar has called for forgiveness. Does an orphan have a licence to auction women?” she asked.
Lawyer activist Maitreyi Krishnan called upon Hindu women to speak up against the harassment and atrocities. “Fact of the matter is that this is the radicalization of Hindu society. Radicalization is being normalized. It is not a distraction but their agenda. Not only is this anti-woman, but also Islamophobic, sexist, and misogynic. I am grateful that this protest is happening. We stand together. This is not the first time that this has happened. Last time, FIR was registered, but no investigation or arrest took place,” she said.
Maitreyi said public auctioning is vilification meant to dehumanize Muslim women. “We have to see it in the light of public calls of genocide on the streets of Delhi and Dharam Sansad, which was nothing but hate assembly. The Supreme Court (SC) has come down heavily on hate crimes. There are various directions, but they are not complied with,” she said.
Kavita Srivastava of People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) said there is a consensus that it is fine to ridicule and dehumanize Muslims.
“We were yet to come to grips with Namaz row at Gurgoan, and there was Dharam Sansad. Even before we could come to terms with it, there was a “Bulli Bai”. Things are moving at a very high speed. We have seen how Tableeghi Jamaat was termed super spreaders last year. We have seen people saying `Naukari Jihad, IAS Jihad, Thook Jihad’ for Muslims,” she said.
Kavita said youth are filled up with so much hatred, and they are catching them young. “Even people of 14 to 21 years are being brainwashed and filled with hatred,” she said.
JNU research scholar Shayma S stressed the need “to look into the entire eco-system behind a series of events like Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai etc., targeting Muslim women for quite some time. And it is this eco-system that needed to be addressed to prevent occurrence of such incidents in future.
She said that it was “the eco-system of radicalization” in which the men looked at women as sexual objects and carried the desire of violence against women in their minds.” And this instinct of violence had got inculcated in the minds of some women also. This is terrifying but not surprising.
Regarding some people asking to ignore the accused who happen to be children, she asked if the Muslim women had allowed them to indulge in such things.
She also referred to controversial Hindu religious leader Yati Narsinghanand who remarked that Muslim women were sent around to sleep with men of other communities to gain political power. “Is there innocence in it?” she asked.
Talking about those who wanted restorative justice, not retributive justice, for the accused as they happen to be children, she said where had such a sympathy gone when thousands of Dalit and Muslim children were sent to jail.
“Where does this understanding of justice go and why such a voice about restorative justice is not raised in case of children hailing from Dalit and Muslim communities, both considered inherently criminals?” she questioned.
Pointing out that Allah Ta’ala had given dignity to human beings, she said that Muslim women should not feel afraid of ill-actions of some people. They must, instead, fight for their dignity and justice.
JIH Women Wing Secretary Atiya Siddiqua said they are proud of being Indians. “Our government should come forward. Those people found guilty should be punished. Had those behind “Sulli” App been punished, these guys would not have come up with Bulli Bai. There is a law of nature. There is a law of nature: What you sow, so shall we reap,” she said.
She urged women from all communities to unite against hate. “A 21-year-old girl has been arrested. I wonder how radicalized she would be. It is not just Muslim women. They can target anybody tomorrow. It is high time we unite and fight this hate,” she said.
Rahmathunnisa, national secretary, JIH Women’s wing, urged upon the Hindu community to come out and speak up against this act.
“Those who were arrested are the tip of the iceberg. Who are behind it? Who is funding, supporting, motivating, and instigating? They should be brought to daylight. They should be named and isolated. They should be punished in such a manner that none ever dares to do it again. Such an evil mindset among youngsters. Our leaders and rulers themselves are doing it,” she said.
She said it is not a simple cybercrime but a deep-rooted conspiracy. “This is anti-national. It has put the entire nation to shame. It is a violation of fundamental rights. It is a violation of the right to privacy and right to dignity,” she said.
Others ,who spoke at the national online protest gathering, included Welfare Party of India’s general secretary Sheema Mohsin, Fraternity Movement’s national secretary Afreen Fatima, Advocate Flavia Agnes, JIH women’s wing member Shaista Rafat and Fatima Nafees.
Fakhira gave the welcome speech and Humera Koppal conducted the proceedings.
