The recent rape of a 10-year old girl In Ghaziabad has shocked everyone. It has been alleged that the girl was held captive in a madrassa and that a Muslim cleric has been booked in connection with the crime. People have been wondering whether the heinous incident will spark a similar outrage in the country. However, the reaction thus far has been muted.
One of the justifications of the muted reaction by those who brought religious angle in the Kathua rape case, has been that there has been no support for the alleged rapists. However, unfortunately, this is not true. Some Muslims have taken to social media, especially Twitter, to defend not only the rapist, but to claim that the rape was ‘fake news’. They have resorted to calling the rape a ‘love affair’ and are demanding that the victim — a minor not even in her teenage — be married off to the rapist.
https://twitter.com/alhaqsrt/status/989706631930884097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/office_TN_Hayat/status/989724115001999365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/NaseemJaunpuri/status/989472515226591233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Bitter___truth/status/989450839218577409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
People are visibly outraged over the shameful defense of rape by some on social media.
https://twitter.com/AsYouNotWish/status/989755149479374848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/pokershash/status/989575369710710784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Such comments have been left by many other Islamists on Facebook too giving the entire affair a sickening angle, which not only aim to downplay the reported incident of rape inside a Madarsa, but legitimizes sex with a minor and child marriage.
While the Islamists are claiming on social media that the 10-year-old girl has in her statement denied rape, media reports have earlier confirmed that the girl had given a statement confirming rape, after which a juvenile and a Maulvi were detained. Father of the girl has also accused the Maulvi of being involved in the sexual assault.
Rather unsurprisingly, this support by some Muslims for the rapist has not been highlighted by the mainstream media, which termed any demand of CBI inquiry in the Kathua incident as a ‘pro-rapist’ stand.