Pakistan strongly condemned India’s “rising xenophobia and Islamophobia” on Tuesday, when the news of displaying Muslim women’s photographs for fake online auction took the internet by storm.
Pakistan called the action “despicable and totally unacceptable”, and urged the international community to raise voice against the injustice.
It is pertinent to note that photographs of more than 100 prominent Muslim women, including journalists, activists, film stars and artists, were uploaded on a website Bulli Bai, last weekend without their permission. ‘Bulli Bai’ is a derogatory slang for Indian Muslim women who have been put up for sale through fake auction.
A San Francisco-based coding platform hosted the website on GitHub. However, due to multiple reports, the website was taken down within 24 hours.
The man behind this heinous act has also been arrested by the Indian police.
Though there was no real sale involved, the Muslim women listed on the website said the auction was intended to humiliate them, many of whom have been vocal about rising Hindu nationalism in India and some of the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Foreign Office in Islamabad in this regard stated that “Pakistan strongly condemns the despicable and totally unacceptable harassment and insult of Muslim women on the internet and purpose-built online application in India.”
The FO said this was 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, [so as] to create a feeling of fear and shame amongst the Muslim community”.
“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’,” the statement said, adding that “hate-mongering followers of such applications attacked the dignity of nearly 100 influential Muslim women by ‘bidding’ on them with deeply offensive remarks.”
“These horrifying occurrences have left Muslim women traumatised and in deep fear,” it added.
“It is reprehensible that no action has been taken against the perpetrators of [a] similar abhorrent act six months ago,” wherein the photographs of dozens of influential Muslim women were put up on a social media platform, the FO said.
The FO further stated that under the “Hindutva-inspired BJP-RSS combine dispensation” in New Delhi, space for minorities, particularly Muslims, continued to shrink in India.
It added that Pakistan was reiterating its calls on the international community, particularly the UN and relevant international human rights and humanitarian organisatins, 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”.
“Deafening silence of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) 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,” the FO said.
