Thenmozhi Soundarajan noted that the hashtag suggests Muslims are weaponizing COVID-19 against Hindus. Despite some tweets being removed, similar content remained online long-term. In 2022, the app Bulli Bai – a sexist slur used against Muslim women – on Github fake ‘auctioned’ Indian Muslim women with the phrase “Your Bulli Bai of the day is…”, it posted images of Muslim women without their permission, who were then doxxed and ‘offered’ for auction.177 Prior to 2022, there was a similar app, Sulli Deals - another pejorative term for Muslim women – also hosted on Github – that listed women with edited photos.178 These apps were meant to humiliate, abuse and harass Muslim women. Bulli Bai app’s creator, Neeraj Bishnoi, along with three other perpetrators – Shweta Singh, Mayank Rawal, and Vishal Kumar Jha – are believed to have been influenced by Hindu nationalist ideology. During this period, all of them were between the ages of 18 and 25.179 The creators used app names related to the Sikh community to make it appear as though these Twitter handles were created by members of that religious community, the police statement issued in the evening said. The Twitter handle of the app claimed its creator was “KSF Khalsa Sikh Force.”180 In the UK, Hindutva actors have been able to transform the Hindutva ideological project into a transnational one, through embedding themselves within both governmental and societal structures. The transnational spread of Hindutva ideology has been evident since 2007,181 when the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) alleged that ‘hundreds’ of Hindu and Sikh girls were being forcibly converted by Muslim extremists at British universities, reviving the myth of ‘love jihad.’ Leaders like Satish Sharma, the Chair of The National Council of Hindu Temples (NCHT), who attended a House of Commons session on Caste Law, capitalized on these events to promote narratives that align ‘law-abiding’ Hindus with ‘British values’ while depicting Muslims as threats.182,183 177 The Wire. (2022). Indian Muslim women targeted in ‘Bulli Bai’ app auction. https://thewire.in/communalism/indian-muslim-woman-auction-bulli-bai 178 The Wire. (2022) ‘Sulli Deals’ and the elaborate ploy to blame Muslim youth for the derogatory app. https://thewire.in/communalism/sulli-deals-and-the-elaborate-ploy-to-blame-muslim-youth-for-the-derogatory-app 179 DW. (2022). India: Auction of Muslim women on apps reveals widespread online abuse. https://www.dw.com/en/ india-auction-of-muslim-women-on-apps-reveals-widespread-online-abuse/a-60379358 180 Rediff. (2022). ‘Bulli Bai’ accused used Sikh names to mislead: Mumbai Police. https://www.rediff.com/news/report/bulli-bai-accused-used-sikh-names-to-mislead-mumbai-police/20220105.htm 181 Awaaz Magazine. (n.d.). From Nagpur to Nairobi to Neasden: Tracing global Hindutva. https://www.awaazmagazine.com/volume-17/issue-2-volume-17/cover-story-issue-2-volume-17/from-nagpur-to-nairobi-to-neasden-tracing-global-hindutva 182 International Socialism. (2023). Sangh Parivar in Britain. Retrieved from https://isj.org.uk/sangh-parivar-in-britain/ 183 The Guardian. (2022). Britain must open its eyes to the influence of India’s BJP on British Hindus and Muslims. The 52

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