ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the despicable and totally unacceptable harassment and insult of Muslim women on the internet and purpose-built online application in India by displaying of Muslim women’s photographs for fake online auction.
Reacting to the reports of the shameful campaign against Muslim women in India, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar reiterated Pakistan’s call on the international community, particularly the United Nations and relevant international human rights and humanitarian organisations to fulfill their responsibilities to stop the rising xenophobia, Islamophobia, and violent attacks against minorities in India and ensure their safety, security, and well-being.
“In a completely obnoxious and repugnant act, aimed at humiliating, harassing and insulting Muslim women, their doctored images have been placed on the internet application with outrageous captions for “auction”.
Hate-mongering followers of such applications attacked the dignity of nearly 100 influential Muslim women by “bidding” on them with deeply offensive remarks,” he said.
This is the newest low in the violent streak of hate attacks against minorities in India, whereby, cyberspace – with purpose-built online platform(s) and social media – has been used yet again, to demean and harass women, particularly, Muslim women, to create a feeling of fear and shame among the Muslim community, he said, adding that these horrifying occurrences have left Muslim women traumatised and in deep fear. Under the Hindutva-inspired BJP-RSS combine dispensation in New Delhi, he added that space for minorities particularly Muslims is continuously shrinking in India.
“It is reprehensible that no action has been taken against the perpetrators of similar abhorrent act six months ago auctioning dozens of influential Muslim women in India on a social media platform,” he added.
He said that the deafening silence of the BJP leadership and absence of discernible action against “Hindutva” proponents openly calling for genocide of Muslims should send alarm bells across the international community about the gross and systematic human rights violations of minorities particularly Muslims in India.
Earlier, photographs of about 100 prominent Muslim women, mostly those who have been vocal against the rising Hindu extremism in India, including journalists, activists, film stars and artists, were published last weekend without their permission on a website for sale through fake auction.
It was followed by an angry response by social media users and even by the progressive Indians through online campaign by using hashtags such as #BulliDeals and #ArrestBullidealculprits to condemn the harassment of the Muslim women in India.
In a Facebook post, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated: “The insult of women and communal hatred will stop only when we all stand against it in one voice. The year has changed, change the situation - now we have to speak!”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022