“This advertisement is only a symptom of the stereotype and prejudice that exists in society,” social activist and lawyer Shezad Poonawala told NDTV on Thursday, November 7.
“I would advise 99 acres to immediately apologize unconditionally to the Muslims because there is an outrage against this advertisement.”
The ad was posted on October 27 on popular property rental and sales portal, 99acres.com.
In black and white, the broker, Jacintha Real Estate, spells out why the flat is an excellent choice, among other features, the society does not entertain Muslims.
“Excellent brand new 2BHK fully furnished flat with cross ventilation, natural light. Cosmopolitan society, no Muslims, with car parking on immediate sale, fifth floor interested please call,” the ad said.
Vishal D Souza, the broker who placed the ad, was not available for comment.
An employee in his office said that while the ad is deeply problematic, in Mumbai it’s not uncommon for landlords to make it clear that they are not willing to sell or rent homes to Muslim families.
Yet, the popular site released a statement apologizing for the incident.
“We are in the process of putting in place more rigorous checks and processes to prevent the recurrence of such listings,” it said.
“We are deeply embarrassed that our site was misused in this manner,” the site added.
Official figures show Muslims, who make up around 13 percent of India’s 1.1 billion population, are lagging behind in literacy.
Muslims have long complained of being discriminated against in all walks of life in Hindu-majority India.
Since the 2008 attacks, which killed about 172 people; a third of them Muslims, Mumbai Muslims, numbering two million of its estimated 19-million populace, fear being targeted because of their faith.
The turbulent history of their city gives credence to their fears.
Nearly 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the Mumbai’s 1992-1993 communal violence, triggered by the demolition of a centuries-old mosque at the hands of Hindu zealots in the northern town of Ayodhya.
Source: OnIslam
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