The ultra-leftist propaganda outlet The Wire’s editor, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, has been called out on social media by netizens for playing the ‘Muslim journalist’ card while tweeting about PFI ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan’s bail orders.
Today (February 2), Kerala-based Siddique Kappan was released from the Lucknow prison after being behind bars for 2 years as the Lucknow Sessions Court approved his bail plea on Wednesday, February 1.
While welcoming the release of Siddique Kappan, Arfa used the opportunity to play her victim card as a ‘Muslim’, claiming that Kappan was falsely accused only because he is a ‘Muslim journalist’.
“Journalist Siddique Kappan finally leaves UP Jail after over two years. He was imprisoned for a crime he never committed. His only crime was that we was a journalist and a Muslim,” Arfa tweeted.
Journalist Siddique Kappan finally leaves UP Jail after over two years.
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) February 2, 2023
He was imprisoned for a crime he never committed.
His only crime was that we was a journalist and a Muslim.
No sooner did Arfa Khanum Sherwani deploy the overused Muslim victimhood card, Netizens were quick to reprimand The Wire journalist. Twitter user @singpuri questioned why she was still not imprisoned and receiving preferential treatment if the current government of India cherry-picks and targets Muslim journalists.
“I then wonder why the government of India gives you such special treatment? Why haven’t you been arrested as yet? What makes you stand out?, the tweet read.
I then wonder why the government of India gives you such special treatment? Why haven’t you been arrested as yet? What makes you stand out? https://t.co/ilz8cVEkkL
— Sunshine Boy 🇮🇳 (@singpuri) February 2, 2023
One Twitter user, @Spoof Junkey, also mocked Arfa for her remark. He wondered why, if Muslim journalists were being targeted, she had been spared.
“His only crime was that we was a journalist and a Muslim.”, then why you are not in jail???
— Naweed (@Spoof_Junkey) February 2, 2023
Ohhh sorry…! I forgot you are not a journalist just a youtuber now 😂
“Wonder why yourself, Rana and Saba are roaming freely then given your criteria for arrests,” tweeted @AlpaKanya, taking a dig at other controversial Muslim ‘journalists’ like Rana Ayyub and Saba Naqvi.
Wonder why yourself, Rana and Saba are roaming freely then given your criteria for arrests🤔
— Alpaca Girl🇮🇳 (@AlpaKanya) February 2, 2023
Retired Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, also chastised Arfa for overusing the ‘Muslim victim’ card. “Muslim, Muslim, Muslim. Ur constant refrain is Muslim. Don’t u realise such constant talk is further polarizing society, & benefiting the ruling party? But in ur obsession perhaps u cudnt care less,” tweeted the ex-SC judge.
Muslim, Muslim, Muslim. Ur constant refrain is Muslim. Don’t u realise such constant talk is further polarizing society, & benefiting the ruling party ? But in ur obsession perhaps u cudnt care less
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) February 2, 2023
PFI ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan, facing charges under UAPA and PMLA, gets bail after 2 years in prison
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Lucknow Sessions Court approved bail orders releasing Kerala-based ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan from the Lucknow prison. Kappan, who was detained in October 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was released from the Lucknow jail on Thursday morning.
Siddique Kappan was arrested by the UP Police on October 5, 2020, when he was proceeding to ‘cover’ the Hathras case where a 19-year-old Dalit woman had died. He was arrested along with three other persons, under stringent sections of UAPA and sedition charges for attempting to create a caste conflict in the state amidst the Hathras case controversy.
Apart from Kappan, Siddiqui of Nagla in Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed of Jarwal in Bahraich district, and Alam of Kotwali area in Rampur district were arrested. All the four arrested four had connections with the radical organization Popular Front of India (PFI) and were planning to cause caste-based unrest in the state, the police had stated.
The government in the Supreme Court had stated that Siddique Kappan was an office-bearer of the now-banned Islamist organization Popular Front of India(PFI) and was on his way to Hathras pretending to be a newspaper journalist from a Kerala-based outlet called ‘Tejas’ that was closed in 2018.
