New Delhi: Sulli Deals, a mobile application was recently in the eye of storm over its despicable and outrageous content, portraying literate Muslim women in bad light.
The App, developed by unidentified miscreants, uploaded photos of Muslim women without their consent and used inappropriate remarks against them. Police lodged FIR against the app creators and site was taken down after the matter came to light and sparked anger.
The photos were uploaded on Sulli Deals without consent of women and were used on ‘GITHUB’ platform to auction their stolen photos.
Filed an FIR.
I’m resolute and firm in getting these cowards to pay for what they have done.
These repeat offences will not be taken sitting down.
Do your worse. I will do mine.
I am a non-political account targeted because of my religion and gender.#sullideals pic.twitter.com/mvt20VWPqp— Hana Mohsin Khan (@girlpilot_) July 7, 2021
Pakistani women ‘sold online’
As per reports, pictures of nearly 90 women belonging to the Muslim community including acclaimed journalists, activists, and artists were shared and put up ‘for auction’. Social media reports suggest that a majority of women profiled were Indian but some of them included Pakistani nationals also.
The pictures of women shared were allegedly sourced from their social media handles.
“Sulli” is a derogatory term used to refer to Muslim women. The app, which was uploaded on repository hosting service GitHub, has been taken down by the platform after outrage on social media.
Somebody made an app of ‘Sulli Deals’ which has twitter handle of so many Muslim girls. You are one tap away from finding the girl as your deal.
That app has our pictures and our names.
The motto of the app says, ‘community driven, open source project’ pic.twitter.com/Rc2vyynRMy— K (@madeforbrettLEE) July 4, 2021
However, it is pertinent to mention here that there was real auction of any kind. It happened online only and it was their photos which were ‘sold online’. Many social media users termed it an ‘attempt to degrade & humiliate’ the targeted individuals.
Sulli Deals shamed by many netizens
The Sulli Deals came under firing line of many people on social media as they found it utterly offensive and despicable.
Below are some chosen reactions:
The reaction to Sulli Deals shouldnt be telling Muslim Women to remove pics from soc media or leave it altogether. The response should be to take cyber bullies to task, make social media a safer place & create allyships with Muslim Women. Bcoz no one is safe unless all of us are!
— Dr. Aqsa Shaikh // اقصٰی شیخ (@doctorsaheba) July 6, 2021
I’m sorry but all this talk on empowering women is futile if the state can’t make us feel safe ONLINE & OFFLINE
Why has not even a single arrest been been made days after @khanthefatima @girlpilot_ & other Muslim women were ‘auctioned’.
Do these men enjoy impunity? @NCWIndia
— Zeba Warsi (@Zebaism) July 8, 2021
How is that github atrocity against Muslim women not the main news in any of the channels? Is this the extent to which this country hates Muslim women? Also genuine question is there any inquiry etc happening to see if the perpetrators etc can be traced?
— Edgar Allan Poeha (@vaniIlaessence) July 7, 2021
Feminists generalising this as an all women’s issue not only erase the fact that women were targeted specifically for being Muslim, this also absolves the perpetrators and obfuscates the identity thereof–they clearly have the tacit and explicit support of the Hindu right.
— Asmita Bakshi (@asmitabee) July 7, 2021
