NEW DEHLI: The largest minority group in the second most populous state has been treated as second-class citizens who faced severe discrimination and repression and digital harassment is the latest dilemma in the South Asian country amid the rise of Hindutva.
An online application that goes by the name of ‘Sulli Deals’ uploaded pictures of hundreds of Muslim women [without their knowledge], and puts them on sale – the slang Sulli is an insulting slang for Indian Muslim women.
Meanwhile, law enforcers started a probe in the shameful incident that how scores of Muslim women were offered for sale in fake online ‘auctions’ as the cases are yet another form of rising Islamophobia in ‘world’s largest democracy.’
Indian police personnel while speaking with a media outlet said a case of sexual harassment under Section 354-A of IPC was lodged following a complaint received on National Cybercrime Reporting Portal regarding ‘Sulli Deals’.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) also issued a notice to the federal law enforcers, seeking an action taken report in the matter by July 12.
This is a very serious matter constituting cybercrime as many women had to leave social media platforms after their images got circulate, we have asked the cybercrime authorities to provide us with relevant information, the commission chief claimed.
Report of international media cited that the website which described itself as a community-driven open source project profiled Muslim women while some of the women of other nationalities, including Pakistanis, were also named in the disgraceful deal of the day list.
Sources told media outlets that the bizarre yet appalling incident was surfaced late Sunday when a victim found the link of the website floating on the internet and tweeted about it. She is among those who were profiled on the website for ‘sale’.
The website administration seems ‘unaware’ of the incident however, software development platform GitHub, which hosted the website, turned down the link later.
‘Woke up this morning to realise my name, along with those of many other Muslim women was up on GitHub as a list of “Sulli Deals”, a victim wrote on Twitter.
Didn't check Twitter last night. Woke up this morning to realise my name, along with those of many other Muslim women was up on GitHub as a list of "Sulli Deals". Thankfully by the time I came across it, it had been taken down. But just the screenshots sent shivers down my spine. pic.twitter.com/CGXivEyjyC
— Fatima Khan (@khanthefatima) July 5, 2021
Another victim, Hana Mohsin Khan, an airline pilot, was also shocked to see the derogatory list in which she got listed. Speaking with an international news outlet, Khan told that ‘The fourth picture was mine. They were literally auctioning me as their slave for the day.’
Filed an FIR.
I’m resolute and firm in getting these cowards to pay for what they have done.
These repeat offences will not be taken sitting down.
Do your worse. I will do mine.
I am a non-political account targeted because of my religion and gender.#sullideals pic.twitter.com/mvt20VWPqp— Hana Mohsin Khan | هناء (@girlpilot_) July 7, 2021
The shocked victim further added that ‘she had been targeted mainly due to her religion’. ‘I am a Muslim woman who’s seen and heard and they want to silence us’, she added saying ‘It sends chills down my spine. From that day till today, I am just in a constant state of anger.’
Meanwhile, the platform claimed to suspend the users’ accounts, as it violated its policies on harassment, discrimination, and inciting violence.
Soon after the incidents, dozens of Muslim women [who have been listed on the platform] have now taken to social media to called out the authorities and vowed to take a stand for themselves.
Earlier in May, an Indian YouTuber Ritesh Jha, live circulated the photos of Muslim women on the festival of Eid. “Today, we will stalk women with our eyes filled with lust’, he captioned the post.
From the start of Modi led fascist government, a string of lynchings of Muslims by Hindu mobs and other hate crimes has sown fear and despair in the community.
