On Friday (1st December), former Indian Express ‘journalist‘ Irena Akbar tweeted the same thing that former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma had said, with several fellow Islamists agreeing with her. She tweeted (archive) a racist cartoon of a Hindu man (dark-coloured skin with saffron tilak), stating his objection to the Islamic Prophet’s marriage to an underage girl. “Your Prophet married a 9-year-old!!!” the cartoon depicting a Hindu man said. A ‘fair-skinned’ man, bearing a skull cap and representative of the Muslim community, is shown to defend Prophet Muhammad. “Yes and? Aisha’s father had no problem. Aisha’s family had no problem. Aisha’s tribe had no problem. Even the arch enemies of the Prophet had no problem.”
The ‘dark-coloured’ Hindu man is shown crying over the antecedents of the Islamic prophet and saying, “We have a problem.” The ex-Indian Express ‘journalist’ conceded that Prophet Muhammad married an underage girl. “Alhamdulillah,” she said.
Irena Akbar was seen responding to Muslim apologists, who were claiming that Aisha was 18 when she married Prophet Muhammad. In a tweet (archive), she emphasised, “No, she was 9 when the marriage was consummated, as per authentic sources of the Seerah. Some apologetic ‘scholars’ attempted to advance her age to 18 in order to ‘fit’ Islam into the flawed Western-liberal-secular-feminist framework.”
“We shouldn’t change facts to appease Islamophobes. Aisha (RA) & her family had no problem with the marriage. The enemies of the Prophet (SAW) could’ve easily used the marriage to target him but they didn’t. It’s only modern-day Islamophobes who keep blabbering about this. And we should stop being apologetic,” Irena Akbar emphasised.
She urged other Muslims to own up to the fact that the marriage between Prophet Muhammad and Aisha was consummated when the latter was 9 years old.
Irena Akbar tweeted (archive), “I am going by authentic Seerah sources, such as The Sealed Nectar. Please read it and listen to the detailed commentary about it by scholars from the Islamic University of Madinah.”
“Also, read biographical sources of Aaisha ( RA) herself who was gifted with intelligence at a remarkably young age. She was indeed a child prodigy. You might not be trying to appease, but with all due respect, your thread stems from Western-modern-day ideas of marriage,” she concluded.
The plight of Nupur Sharma
Irena Akbar, who has acknowledged the underage marriage of Prophet Muhammad with Aisha, had targeted ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for essentially saying the same thing during a debate on Times Now in May last year.
“First, ruling BJP’s NupurSharma spewed vulgar language against the Prophet (SAW). Now, BJP’s Naveen Jindal went 10 steps ahead to tweet a horrific allegation against Prophet (SAW). Insulting Prophet (SAW) has become the latest self-promotion tool for India’s ruling party members,” she said in a tweet on 4th June 2022.
Nupur Sharma found herself at the centre of a raging storm after Islamists, egged on by the likes of AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair and Irena Akbar, issued multiple threats against her and her family for expressing her views on Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Sharma was part of a debate panel on Times Now, discussing the finding of Shivling in the Gyanvapi complex and the subsequent mockery of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses that followed in the wake of the discovery.
In response to the contempt and scorn poured over Hindu Gods and Goddesses, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma asked them to refrain from insulting Hindu Gods and cited Islamic scriptures and the Holy Quran to substantiate her remarks on Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Zubair shared an incomplete video of the debate, touching off Sar Tan Se Juda protests all over the country. While Islamists went on a rampage on the streets in many cities across the country, it was essentially Mohammed Zubair who was responsible for kindling a fire that had gone on to assume uncontrollable proportions.
Nupur Sharma received support from the likes of Kanhaiya Lal (Udaipur), and Umesh Kolhe (Amravati), who were later murdered by Islamists. Opindia had reported in detail about cases of murders and assaults faced by the Hindu community for extending their support to the former BJP spokesperson.
Muslims agree with Irena Akbar, do not issue threats
One Khazadah I Awadh appreciated, “Massive respects and salute to you. This coming from a woman is applaudable. In the times when liberalism and feminism are corrupting Muslim males and females, you chose to be unapologetic. May Allah (swt) bless you.”
Massive respects and salute to you. This comming from a woman is applaudable.
— Khanzadah I Awadh (@Khanzadah_) December 1, 2023
In the times when liberalism and feminism are corrupting Muslim males and females, you chose to be unapologetic.
May Allah (swt) bless you.
Other Muslims were seen justifying the underage marriage as a commandment from Allah that Prophet Muhammad had to follow.
And yes nothing happened by the will of Muhammad SAW.
— Bel iever (@BelIever26623) December 1, 2023
He followed what Allah SWT wanted from him
Her age reported 9 but some say she was 19 , there is argument that these 9 year start count after first day of getting adult by nature , which could be between 12 to 16 depends on hormones, Anywy prophets never do things of own except order from God so all argument are useless
— Muhammad Ayaz (@m_ayaz23) December 1, 2023
Unlike Nupur Sharma, Irena Akbar received neither abuse nor death threats since she happens to be a co-religionist of the Islamists. This is not the first time that the former Indian Express ‘journalist’ courted controversy on social media.
In October this year, she was seen defending Hamas terrorists over the killing and subsequent parading of the body of German citizen Shani Louk. While slut-shaming the victim, she claimed that Shani Louk could have been ‘partially naked’ at the time of her killing and not necessarily stripped by Hamas terrorists.
