Indian poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has called for compassion towards the 18-year-old creator of Bulli Bai, an app where Muslim women could be 'auctioned and sold', creating a backlash from women on Twitter for his ‘insensitive’ comments.
Akhtar's own wife, Shabana Azi, was portrayed on the app's 'auction list' alongside notable Muslim women, including Noel laureate Malala Yousef, as well as unsuspecting, everyday Muslim women whose photos were posted to the app without their consent .
In the tweet, Akhtar called for women to "make [the app's developer] understand that why what ever she did was wrong." He asked women to show "compassion and forgive her."
https://twitter.com/Javedakhtarjadu/status/1478607012569042944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478607012569042944%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
Women responded with outrage at the man's callous response, questioning why women were being tasked with the emotional work of correcting misbehavior.
https://twitter.com/Ssaniya_/status/1478612064222412802
https://twitter.com/raalferns/status/1478624863623409665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478624863623409665%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
The creator of the app, an 18-year-old woman, had purportedly lost both of her parents to coronavirus and cancer. However, some questioned how being orphaned led to the subjugation of Muslim women.
https://twitter.com/rohini_sgh/status/1478646281027293184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478646281027293184%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
Last year, an online forum, 'Sulli Deals' also developed an auction list of Indian Muslim women. Both Bulli and Sulli are derogatory terms associated with Muslim women in local slang.
Other women were quick to point out how online defamation can lead to real world violence against women.
https://twitter.com/Javedakhtarjadu/status/1478607012569042944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478607375804207104%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
https://twitter.com/SidrahDP/status/1478612070107025411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478612070107025411%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
Akhtar's own wife, Shabana Azi, was portrayed on the app's 'auction list' alongside notable Muslim women, including Noel laureate Malala Yousef, as well as unsuspecting, everyday Muslim women whose photos were posted to the app without their consent .
In the tweet, Akhtar called for women to "make [the app's developer] understand that why what ever she did was wrong." He asked women to show "compassion and forgive her."
https://twitter.com/Javedakhtarjadu/status/1478607012569042944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478607012569042944%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
Women responded with outrage at the man's callous response, questioning why women were being tasked with the emotional work of correcting misbehavior.
https://twitter.com/Ssaniya_/status/1478612064222412802
https://twitter.com/raalferns/status/1478624863623409665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478624863623409665%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
The creator of the app, an 18-year-old woman, had purportedly lost both of her parents to coronavirus and cancer. However, some questioned how being orphaned led to the subjugation of Muslim women.
https://twitter.com/rohini_sgh/status/1478646281027293184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478646281027293184%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
Last year, an online forum, 'Sulli Deals' also developed an auction list of Indian Muslim women. Both Bulli and Sulli are derogatory terms associated with Muslim women in local slang.
Other women were quick to point out how online defamation can lead to real world violence against women.
https://twitter.com/Javedakhtarjadu/status/1478607012569042944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478607375804207104%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168
https://twitter.com/SidrahDP/status/1478612070107025411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478612070107025411%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1189168