Mumbai,May 27 (NDTV): Just a week after she moved into an apartment in Mumbai, Misbah Qadri, a communications professional, was asked out. "I was told that they do not give flats to Muslim people," she says.
The 25-year-old had found a three-bedroom apartment at Sanghvi Heights in Wadala after a long, difficult search. She teamed up with two working women who found her on Facebook.
But when she was about to move in, a broker allegedly told her that the housing society does not allow Muslims. Misbah was allegedly asked to submit her resume and sign a disclaimer, which said if she faced any harassment from her neighbours because of her religion, the builder, the owner and the broker would not be legally responsible.
Misbah found the terms offensive, but had no choice to move in, as she already given up her previous apartment. She had hoped that she would be able to resolve the problem later.
A week later, however, the broker called her and allegedly threatened to throw her out of the flat. She alleges that she and her flat-mates were asked to vacate the house.
The society has denied it.
"We allow Muslim people to stay here. The broker should be asked about it," said Rajesh, the supervisor of Sanghvi Heights.
Lawyer and activist Shehzad Poonawala has drawn the attention of the state Minorities Commission to Misbah's case.
Last week in the city, 23-year-old Zeshan Khan, an MBA, was denied a job by a multi-national jewellery exports company, which said in an email: "We regret to inform you that we hire only non-Muslim candidates." The company later blamed the email on a trainee in its HR department.
Misbah Qadri grew up in Gujarat, and says she was exposed to discrimination in the aftermath of the 2002 riots in the state. "I have been in Mumbai for 5 and half years. It happens in Gujarat and I have been facing it in Mumbai also," she said.