Hindu Extremist Involved In Creating Apps to Auction off Muslim Women Granted Bail
In a blatant disregard for the safety and dignity of Muslim women, a Delhi court on Monday granted bail to Niraj Bishnoi and Aumkareshwar Thakur on humanitarian grounds. Both the accused men were masterminds behind the Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals app.
Both apps were designed to publicly humiliate vocal Muslim women by “auctioning” them as maids and prostitutes, playing into a larger trend of harassing Muslim women with graphic rape fantasies and death threats.
“Accused is a first time offender and a young person as such prolonged incarceration would be detrimental to his overall well being,” said the court when granting the extremists bail.
The decision was met with outrage among activists on social media, who pointed out the Indian judiciary’s repeated display of double standards when judging between Hindu extremists who have committed major crimes, versus Muslims who are routinely imprisoned for dissenting against the Modi regime.
“Would the court say the same for [Sharjeel Imam] and several other Muslim youth who are incarcerated only because of their identity. It’s around 800 days since Sharjeel is in prison for the crime he never committed. Is the well being of Muslim youths not a concern?” tweeted activist Aasif Mujtaba, referring to Sharjeel Imam and other leaders of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests who were imprisoned under draconian anti-terror laws for supposedly causing unrest through their human rights activism.
India-based Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub retweeted the news with the caption, “Stan Swamy was 84, with Parkinsons,” referring to the death of an elderly Jesuit priest and human rights defender who was repeatedly denied basic needs while in prison for a crime he never committed.
Hindu Extremist Group In Karnataka Announces Protests Against Halal Meat
Adding fuel to the rampant anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination in Karnataka state, the Hindu extremist group Hindu Janajagrithi Samithi on Monday announced that they are starting a campaign against the purchase of halal meat.
“We are starting a campaign against Halaal meat. As per Islam, Halaal meat is first offered to Allah and the same cannot be offered to Hindu gods,” said Mohan Gowda, the spokesperson for Hindu Janajagrithi Samithi.
The statements come at a time when Muslims across Karnataka have been at the receiving end of the wrath of Hindu nationalist groups over the discriminatory hijab ban, which has since manifested into restricting members of the minority community from participating in religious fairs associated with the majority.
“Each time Muslims cull an animal, the face is turned towards Mecca and some prayers are uttered. The same meat cannot be offered to Hindu gods. In Hinduism, we do not believe in torturing the animal and it is culled by (electric) shock,” Gowda added, blatantly disregarding the fact that one of the requirements for halal meat is for the animal not to be tortured.
Many parts of Karnataka have seen sharp spikes in anti-Muslim discrimination as Hindu extremists continue to impose restrictions on Muslim traders. Extremists aided by the BJP have already banned Muslim shopkeepers from setting up shop near temples.
Prominent Citizens Demand Karnataka CM Stop Indulging In Hate Politics
Prominent citizens and intellectuals wrote a letter to Karnataka state BJP leader and Chief Minister B. S. Bommai, demanding that he clamp down on rising anti-Muslim discrimination and stop indulging in hate politics.
“It is shameless work to deliberately instill religious hatred in this land… Fascism and communalism are depriving the right of the poor girls of the Muslim community to use the headscarf as a weapon. At the very least, we do not understand what is required by the government to mandate uniforms on the eve of the test, which is not the case,” said the letter.
The signatories also demanded that plans to add Hindu religious texts as compulsory parts of school curriculums be dropped, saying, “We feel that children need to read the Constitution… Strict legal action should be taken against those who are disturbed by religion and fanaticism. The proposal to make the Bhagavad Gita a text must be dropped.”
The signatories further called for the end to the ban on Muslim traders at non-religious festivals, adding, “The festivals on the state’s fairs should continue to allow for harmonious heritage activities and trade-offs that have taken place in the past. Those who maliciously undermine it should be prosecuted arbitrarily.”
The ban on Muslim traders was ludricous enough to spark some backlash even among other members of the BJP. Member of Legislative Council Adagur H. Vishwanath and Member of Legislative Assembly Anil Benake both criticized the ban, calling it “undemocratic” and “madness.”
“I cannot understand on what basis they are targeting Muslim vendors and businesses. This is a very sorry state of affairs. The government must take action or there will be a reaction from the people,” said Vishwanath.
