Sulli deals: Trolls put Muslim women up for ‘auction’

Police are investigating an unsettling harassment campaign where more than 80 Muslim women were offered up for sale in online "auctions" without their knowledge or consent.

The images of the outspoken Muslim women were posted to the open software development site GitHub where they were labeled "sulli deal of the day." 'Sulli' is a racist insult against Muslim women in India.

Those targeted in this harassment campaign say the matter highlights the growing problem of Islamophobia in the country.

Hana Mohsin Khan, an airline pilot with over 12,000 Twitter followers, told DW she was alerted by a friend last week who directed her to a gallery of images of women and found she was the fourth person there.

"Most of the women who have been targeted are vocal women, you know, people who are talking on the internet or on Twitter, and they're educated women," she said.

Who was targeted and are there consequences for the perpetrators?

National Commission for Women notes this incident was focused on Muslim female researchers, analysts, artists and journalists.

GitHub has reacted by suspending the users' accounts, noting numerous terms of service violations concerning harassment, discrimination and incitement to violence.

Delhi police do not know who is responsible, so they have filed charges against unknown persons.

Larger political context behind the fake auctions

Sania Ahmad, 34, a target of the harassment campaign, blamed an online troll army of Hindu ultra-nationalists which she said has proliferated in recent years. These trolls engage in brigading, where numerous users harass the same target at once.

Ahmad told AFP her heartbeat accelerates every morning when she opens her phone, "It starts with petty abuse and grows into death and rape threats." She believes these harassment campaigns have "political backing."