Zafar Aafaq | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Number of Indian expatriates from Hindu community working in the Gulf are in trouble for posting hate-filled content on social media demonising Muslims of India.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have started taking serious note of the acts of workers that have the potential to disturb communal harmony. In fact, in the last few days, reports have shown that in several cases, the authorities may decide to sack and deport the workers found guilty of spreading hatred against Muslims in their social media posts.
Last week, Rakesh b Kiturmath, an expat from Ranebennuri, Karnataka, who worked as team leader in Emrill Services in Dubai was sacked by his employer after he wrote a post on social media that was found to be promoting hatred against Muslims.
Emrill Services decided to hand Kiturmath over to police and it has been reported that he may have to go to jail. Stuart Harrison, CEO of Emrill Services, said, “Kitturmath’s employment stands terminated with immediate effect. He will be handed over to Dubai Police. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards such hate crimes.”
Earlier, an Indian financial manager in Abu Dhabi landed in trouble after posting graphic images that appeared to blame Tablighi Jamaat Muslims for coronavirus spread in India. The post read: “Jihadi coronavirus suicide spitter” could “cause 2,000 deaths compared to 20 by a jihadi bomber detonating a belt rigged with explosives”.
The post triggered reaction from Muslims in India and abroad who demanded his sacking and deportation from the UAE.
Mitesh’s employer, after being alerted about the incident, reportedly initiated a probe. Gulf News quoted a legal representative of Mitesh’s company saying: “We are examining the case. Strict legal action pursuant to UAE laws will be taken against the man if our investigation reveals that it’s he who put up that post. He will be sacked. We have a zero-tolerance policy.”
Shamshad Alam, a Muslim man from Maharashtra posted screen shots of his WhatsApp exchange with Samer Bhandari, an Indian who runs an event management company UAE. The screenshots which went viral on social media showed Bhandari asking Alam to go to Pakistan after he wrote that he was looking for a job in his company.
These incidents are happening when a new wave of hate crimes are committed against ordinary Muslims in India amidst coronavirus lockdown. The surge in hate crimes is a consequence of vilification of Tablighi Jamaat members by a large section of the media after its Nizamuddin Markaz emerged a coronavirus hotspot.
Social media in India is abuzz with posts that peddle hate against Muslims. Most of such posts come from supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In India they seldom have to face the law, but in Gulf countries there are several instance where authorities have taken action against people found guilty of using social media to spread hatred against Muslim community.
Over three million Indians are based in the UAE alone. Here, they work in different sectors ranging from construction, manufacturing, event management, IT and media.
Every year, more than 55 billion $ are transferred to India from the Gulf countries, and more than 120 billion annually from all Muslim countries.
Indians (mostly Hindus) are treated well in these countries.
In return, how are Muslims treated in India?#india#Indian
— عبدالرحمن النصار (@alnassar_kw) April 16, 2020
On April 16, Princess Hend Al Qassimi, an Emirati businesswoman from the royal family of the UAE, pointed out the “racist and discriminatory” posts of one Saurabh Upadhay, who appeared to be targeting Muslims for Tablighi Jamaat incident related to coronavirus in India.
The ruling family is friends with Indians, but as a royal your rudeness is not welcome. All employees are paid to work, no one comes for free. You make your bread and butter from this land which you scorn and your ridicule will not go unnoticed.
— Princess Hend Al Qassimi (@LadyVelvet_HFQ) April 15, 2020
Anyone that is openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave. An example; pic.twitter.com/nJW7XS5xGx
— Princess Hend Al Qassimi (@LadyVelvet_HFQ) April 15, 2020
Replying to Upadhyay’s posts on twitter, the princess wrote: “The ruling family is friends with Indians, but as a royal your rudeness is not welcome. All employees are paid to work, no one comes for free. You make your bread and butter from this land which you scorn and your ridicule will not go unnoticed.”
Citing Upadhya as an example, she said anyone found to be making hate speech will be fined and deported.
Upadhyay seems to have deactivated his twitter account since he was called out for his posts that termed Tablighi Jamaat people as terrorists and radicals and wished death to them.
In 53 Muslim countries Indians where most of them Hindu, are treated with humanity and respect ..
How do Muslims are treated in India?
— عبدالرحمن النصار (@alnassar_kw) April 15, 2020
In Saudi Arabia, a scholar of Islam Abidi Zahrani urged that a list all Hindus who are working in gulf and spreading hate against Islam, Muslims or Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) should be prepared and they should be sent bac to home.
The authorities in gulf come to know about such activities because they are alerted by social media activists in India after they come across hate filled content.
A Delhi based twitter user Rizwan Rza Khan tweeted that he has compiled a list of “Islamophobic expats” who work in Muslim countries.
Hello @RoyalOmanPolice Parmesh who works at @Khimji_Ramdas is spreading hatred against Muslims by stating that Muslims are responsible for Genocides.
He’s spreading fake propaganda that muslims are criminals and are spreading #coronavirus @MofaOman @chamber_oman pls take note. pic.twitter.com/N2kNDL2ozh— Woke Muslims 🌈 (@WokeMuslims) April 11, 2020
Another twitter user @deadzedb alerted Dubai Police about the Islamophobic posts of one Balakrishna Nakka who mocked Muslims as suicide bombers spreading coronavirus. Later, the user claimed that following his alert, Nakka was terminated from his job.
We don’t take hate speech lightly here in the UAE 🇦🇪
— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) April 15, 2020
