Muslim women for sale: Images uploaded to an auctioning app in India

The Editors Guild of India on Wednesday said it was deeply concerned that images of Muslim women were put up “for auction” online and shared via social media in a derogatory manner, reports Scroll. in, a digital news platform in India.

Images of hundreds of women were uploaded via an auctioning app called “Sulli Deals” on Sunday, The Quint reported.

“Sulli” is a derogatory term used to refer to Muslim women in India.

The app, which was uploaded on repository hosting service GitHub, has been taken down by the platform after outrage on social media.

Journalist Fatima Khan, tweeted, “How is this acceptable? What will be the punishment, if any, meted out to the people who made this list?”

Didn't check Twitter last night. Woke up this morning to realise my name, along with those of many other Muslim women was up on GitHub as a list of "Sulli Deals". Thankfully by the time I came across it, it had been taken down. But just the screenshots sent shivers down my spine. pic.twitter.com/CGXivEyjyC

— Fatima Khan (@khanthefatima) July 5, 2021

“Muslim men are lynched, Muslim women are harassed and sold online. When will this end?” added Fatima.

Meanwhile, Pilot Hana Mohsin Khan filed a first information report in the case for putting women “on-sale”.

“I’m resolute and firm in getting these cowards to pay for what they have done,” she said in a tweet. “These repeat offenses will not be taken sitting down.”

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 | هناء (@girlpilot_) July 7, 2021

The Editors Guild raised concerns about the misuse of digital and social media platforms to harass women journalists. “This vile attack is symptomatic of underlying misogyny in some sections of the society, especially against Muslim women as well as those who have been outspoken critics of the current government,” it said.

The Editors Guild of India considers it reprehensible that images of women journalists and other professionals from minority community were posted online and shared over social media, in a denigrating manner, putting them “up for auction”. pic.twitter.com/HIm1Oos1c5

— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) July 7, 2021