Not Only Urfi Javed but Muslims Are Being Side-Lined and Condemned

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 18 January 2023 In Such Polarised Times, A Poor Muslim Girl's Innocuous Acts And Antics Make Her A Fahisha (Urdu For A Whore; Derived From Fuhash). And When A Political Party Is Involved In Casting Opprobrium On Her, It Becomes An Obvious Case Of Hindu-Muslim Divide. ------ I'm not a spokesman of Urfi Javed. Nor am I her friend. Her dressing sense could be improper to some prudes because India is rife with ' voyeurs with a complaining streak' (Khwaja Ahmad Abbas' apt observation). Urfi Javed ---- My point is: What’s Chitra Wagh's (chief of Maharashtra BJP Women's Wing) problem? Why is this self-styled moralist against Urfi's proper or improper dressing? Let this young girl experiment with her body and apparels. Why do we feel so squeamish about a woman showing her flesh? That's her life. This young woman may be suffering from Attention Deficiency Syndrome and by shedding clothes, she tries to attract people's attention. But is she creating a nuisance? Is she killing anyone? Many Hindu girls are also doing the same. But the axe falls on a Muslim girl in a sharply polarised country. At the moment, Maharashtra is the most polarised state alongside UP, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Muslims are openly abused. A few days ago, while speaking with a former editor of a Marathi newspaper, he told me, ' Ye Katwe (an extremely derogatory term for Muslims as their men are circumcised) Saare Haraam Ki Aulaadein Hain (they're all bastards). Imagine, a former editor is resorting to this type of execrable language for a community. The socio-political equations in Maharashtra are also lopsided, thanks to the current political dispensation. Muslims are being side-lined and condemned. Even a prestigious News channel like Times Now is playing to the gallery and maligning Muslims in no uncertain terms. Recently, it claimed that more than 200 Hindus of Daund (near Poona) are being converted every year. This raised eyebrows. What on earth police, government and local machinery doing? There's no satisfactory answer and explanation to this shocking phenomenon (if at all this has been happening). So, in such polarised times, a poor Muslim girl's innocuous acts and antics make her a Fahisha (Urdu for a whore; derived from Fuhash). And when a political party is involved in casting opprobrium on her, it becomes an obvious case of Hindu-Muslim divide. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/urfi-javed-muslims-condemned/d/128899 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism