The dangerous islamophobia and selective misogyny against Muslim women that are being bred as a passion project by the far-right groups in the country have manifested themselves this time in the form of a disturbing app.
On July 4, an app called ‘Sulli Deals’ was created where pictures of Muslim women picked up from the internet were uploaded. The app which described itself as a ‘community-driven, open-source project’ was hosted by an unknown group on Github. The app offered the user the option ‘Find your sulli deal of the day’ and when selected it would reportedly present the user with the photo of a Muslim woman, along with their name and Twitter handle. It also allowed the user to share it on Twitter.
Sanghis have found a new way to harass muslim women online. They have made a website which randomly picks images of muslim girls and gives an option to post it on twitter with a poster titled "Your sulli deal of Day" cc: @Cyberdost pic.twitter.com/9KIWwEko7v
— Adab e Hindustan ❤️ ?? (@adabehindustan) July 4, 2021
The app came to light when several Twitter handles started sharing about it online. After the outrage against the app on various social media platforms, Github a hosting platform has removed the app, however, it has not released any formal statement regarding the issue.
'Sullideals' shit is not just some filthy men. It is not isolated. It roots from the very anti-muslim ideology that advocates lynchings and pogroms.
It should be seen in the light that this savage behaviour against muslim women is ignored only because we're MUSLIM women.1/4
— Afreen Fatima (@AfreenFatima136) July 5, 2021
‘Sulli’ is a derogatory term employed often by the Hindu right in the country to disrespect Muslim women. The culprits behind the creation of the app which deliberately vilified Muslim women are still unknown.
On Sulli deals:
Sexualising and sexual violence against muslim women is not unheard of in India where pogroms against muslims keep repeating. Now it has reached to this level that we are being “auctioned” on the websites created by Hindu men. Is this supposed to be normal? 1/n
— Nabiya Khan | نبیہ خان (@NabiyaKhan11) July 5, 2021
The incident is not merely a representation of masculine anxieties towards women who occupy public spaces online but a part of the series of abusive Hindutva campaigns targeting Muslim women both online and offline and asserting Brahmanical ownership on the bodies of women.
sulli deals is a natural outcome of a society that worships savarkar. he has written quite explicitly on how raping muslim women is necessary and failure to do so is neither virtuous nor chivalrous, but cowardly.
calling savarna feminists to launch a project against this.
— s mariam (@humaniteaspoon) July 5, 2021
Earlier in May 2021 on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr pictures of Muslim women majorly from Pakistan were live-streamed by a Youtube channel called ‘Liberal Doge Live’.
In August 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated removing the special status provided to the Indian administered Jammu & Kashmir with a Muslim majority population, social media platforms were filled with misogynistic posts by Hindu Indian Men where they boasted about getting permission to find Kashmiri wives.
It was not just limited to social media, BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh Vikram Sahani while addressing a function organised by his party to celebrate the draconian move said that bachelors were excited to marry ‘fair’ Kashmiri women.
Nationalists: Win over Kashmiris.
Show them you care!BJP MLA VikramSaini: ?.?.
"..party workers are very excited there(Kashmir),those who are bachelor get them married thr I don't have any problem..
…I'm saying this to all Muslim-Hindu boys,go marry with WHITE GIRLS now…" pic.twitter.com/cOw1rnRi3M— Zainab Sikander Siddiqui (@zainabsikander) August 6, 2019
