A Muslim woman was allegedly denied entry into the alcohol section of a restaurant in Hyderabad for sporting a burqa in October last year, reported Siasat Daily. The incident reportedly took place at the ‘Sanctuary Bar and Kitchen’ that is located in Jubilee Hills area in Hyderabad city of Telangana.
The Muslim woman and her sister had gone to the restaurant, dressed in their Islamic attire. She alleged that the bouncer of the restaurant reprimanded her for wearing a burqa. “Hijab and Burkha-clad women are not allowed. If you still enter, it could be a problem,” the bouncer had reportedly claimed. The woman accused that the staff of the restaurant of ignoring them for 20 minutes, owing to their attire. She had also claimed that she was stopped from clicking photographs.
The Muslim woman dubbed the restaurant’s behaviour as ‘Islamophobic’ and ‘sexist.’ She also said that the incident left her younger sister traumatised. The matter came to light when the woman took to social media on Saturday (November 13) to talk about the incident that took place a year ago. In his defence, the restaurant’s manager Sukumar remarked, “Hijab clad women were allowed inside the restaurant but couldn’t sit in the courtyard as people consumed alcohol there and it was anyway prohibited in their religion. It doesn’t look nice.”
Islamists target Muslim woman for visiting alcohol-serving restaurant
However, instead of siding with the Muslim woman, Islamists began to shame and abuse her on social media, for going to a bar. Many people questioned why a woman with Hijab will go to a place that serves alcohol, as alcoholic drinks are banned in Islam. One Twitter user (@abdulsamir) wrote, “Stop outraging over this incident. It’s a bar where wine is served. Why would anyone wearing a hijab want to go there?”
Another Islamist stated that Muslims must avoid places where alcohol is served. “Should not be there in the first place,” he emphasised.
Another Muslim man wrote, “The name of the place is ‘The Sanctuary Bar & Kitchen’ and the place serves alcohol. As a Muslim, there was no point going to such place sporting hijab. Coming to social media and outraging for such nonsense cause should not be entertained.”
One “Miya Bhai’ said that the parents of all Muslim women must provide Islamic education to discourage them to visit restaurants where alcohol is served. “Just checked the restaurant’s page on Zomato…… they are serving bacon too….. but these ignorant ladies wouldn’t mind if their ordered food was cooked in the same utensils in which pig meat was just cooked….. they would happily gobble up all that haram filth…Its a shame…” he added.
Other Muslims advised the woman to not visit restaurants where non-Halal food and liquor is sold.
Another Islamist thanked the restaurant for not letting the Muslim woman to sit in the alcohol section. “I feel shame on those ladies that they went to that restaurant where liquor and pig meat being served. And I really thank the restaurant staff who didn’t allow Muslim women to enter with burkha in such place. Being a Muslim, we shouldn’t imagine to go there I don’t know. Why do these ladies go there? Someone give me their parents’ number. So I will talk to them, thanks.
The Muslim woman and her sister were also subjected to rape threats in the comment section of Siasat Daily. They were removed by moderators after they were reported by other readers.
