On Thursday (September 22), ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub drew the ire of some Muslims on social media after she spoke out in support of the anti-hijab protests in Iran.
In a tweet, she cited the Quran and wrote, “There is no compulsion in religion- Surah Baqarah.” Soon after, scores of angry Muslims descended on her Twitter timeline and slammed her for ‘misinterpreting the Holy book’ and suggesting that women had a choice when it came to religious attire.
One Twitter user (@Dr_Khan96) wrote, “Obviously she knows the context behind the verse. There is no doubt that this well-wisher of gustakh (Blasphemer) is one of the staunch enemies of Islam.”
“But need to look out for those among us who still support her in her anti-Islamic narrative,” the user added.
One Sanif Sultan stated, “This verse is referring to non-Muslims. Muslims don’t get to pick and choose in following Islam and then use this verse out of context to defend their deviant behaviour.”
“Being a journalist, stick to your journalism. Just because you read a verse, don’t mean you can paste it anywhere without knowing its context. And know that misinterpreting the Quran is a big sin,” one Mohammed warned.
“You lost all respect. I don’t see any difference between you and Barkha Dutt. Shame on you Rana,” wrote one Mukarram.
She had earlier stirred the hornet’s nest by extending her support to the anti-hijab protests in Iran. Given that Rana Ayyub garnered support through her endorsement of hijab in Karnataka schools, her stance in the context of women’s right to choice in Iran did not sit well with Islamists.
“I will fight for a woman’s right to wear Hijab and I will also fight for another woman’s choice to not wear it. Be it India or Iran, stop telling women how to dress and behave in public. Back off,” Rana Ayyub wrote in a tweet.
She had also called the Iranian regime ‘fascist’ and made a futile appeal to her supporters to fight against it.
It is worth emphasising that women in Iran are forced to wear a hijab, which covers the head and neck and hides the hair, under Islamic law, which has been in place since the 1979 revolution. While Iranian women battle to be emancipated from the restrictions of headscarves, the hijab is used to further the Islamic agenda across the world.