Women asked to remove burqa at Jain food festival in Mumbai

Mumbai: A Muslim woman, who set up her vegetarian stall at a Jain food festival in Mumbai’s upscale Worli neighbourhood, considered the city’s business hub, allegedly faced Islamophobia from the organisers.

The event was held at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI), Worli, on Thursday, August 6. The incident came to light when the woman’s male relative, Mushtaq Ansari, uploaded a video on social media.

He claims that the organisers came up to his sister and wife and asked them to remove their burqas or leave the premises.

The woman, who was asked to leave, described it as one of her worst experiences to date. “This is not my first time. I have put up my food stalls in several events. I was wearing a hijab and attending to my customers when one of the organisers told me to remove it.”

She says that there was reportedly no prior information or intimidation from the food festival authorities that Muslims were not allowed. “They took fees from us to set up the stall. If there was so much problem, then why did you take the money?” she asked.

She claims that some people recorded them and took pictures without their consent. “I understand the religious sentiments of the Jain community, and hence, all my food items are eggless and vegetarian. This is no way of treating someone,” she said.