Dangerous existence

Muslim women in India live dangerous lives. The extent of the harassment and pressure they face has been amplified by recent incidents involving an app on which pictures of Muslim women were posted, claiming that they were ‘for sale’. The women themselves were not aware of the pictures. Many of those who appeared on the app named ‘Bulli Bai’ were persons who had in some way objected to the increasing hatred and vengeance expressed by the right-wing government in India against Muslims, and the manner in which they acted to harass these women in cyberspace. The site was taken down. A similar site named ‘Sulli Deals’ was also put up in June, again selling Muslim women online without their knowledge, of course.

We ask where India’s policy of hatred and vengeance will lead. What will it do to the country’s large Muslim minority? We ask when voices will be raised against the hatred and the manner in which it is being spread, most lately through these apps hosted by a Microsoft site. Microsoft itself has not yet commented on the incident, but is under pressure to do so, from Muslim women in India. But it is the world now which needs to raise its voice against the violence and harassment that has become the new norm in India. The manner and ugliness of the violence means that women are now more open to active action against them on the streets and sexual assault as a result of the pictures posted and the result of the attitude that underlies such sites.

The misogyny is virtually unbelievable. It is hard to understand why there has not been more outcry from around the world and why such attacks on a large group of women are allowed to continue. The stories have been appalling. One of the pictures put up was of the mother of a student who had disappeared five years ago during a protest demanding rights. We ask where secular India’s human rights defenders have vanished and why more are not coming forward to demand that action be taken against all those who attack Muslims in various fashions and attempt to make them outcasts in the India of today. And there is no sign as yet of a return to some sense of normalcy or the bare minimum of safety for India’s minority communities, especially Indian Muslims.