Trolls from minority community force Wali Rahmani to go off social media

Kolkata: One of India’s youngest social media influencers and activists, Wali Rahmani who became a household name because of his YouTube videos has vowed to never make his opinion public. Rahmani has been consciously refraining from posting on social media or making YouTube videos to share what’s on his mind regarding Prashant Bhushan or to counter the anti-Muslim narrative of the right-wingers.

21-year-old YouTuber Wali Rahmani has been in activism since his teenage and even adopted underprivileged kids to make them future leaders by providing them good education and ensuring holistic development of every child in his center Ummeed. The law student uses his Youtube earnings to nurture kids.

Rahmani has also been very active during lockdown and help get foods not only to men and women but animals too.

Speaking to eNewsroom, Rahmani said, “I am disheartened with the kind of trolling that my family and I have had to endure, because of my talk on Dhruv Rathee’s YouTube chat show.” On being asked, what he said on the show, he replied, “We were speaking about the communal clashes that took place in Bengaluru because of a derogatory post made about the Prophet (PBUH) and I had cited a Hadith, which many other Islamic scholars like Mufti Menk has also cited. But the moment the video was released, people took offence to the Hadith (which now I have come to know is a wrong Hadith) I shared. I have even apologised for the same, but people kept trolling me and my parents.”

He paused and added, “It felt sad. All these years I have been advocating for the community. The videos I made to break myths and counter right-wingers made me take up law as a profession. But, the same community is trolling me mercilessly. I am disappointed and hence have decided to be off social media. I had even wanted to delete my accounts. But my team told me that I shouldn’t delete them and that they would be using it to share stories of others. I gave in to their demand as they are the ones who have worked hard right from my handle getting a blue tick to me getting over a million social media followers.”

The youngster who till date had been praised suddenly has several memes terming him as a Sarkari Musalman, an agent of BJP, a traitor and even Sanghi. Some have even volunteered to throw garbage at him and his family while some have openly abused him.

Video of Mufti Menk, telling the rivayat of old woman throwing garbage on Prophet Muhammad

“The rivayat shared by Rahmani has been written in many Urdu books. Also, let’s be clear, it’s not a hadith but rivayat. He can’t be trolled for that. He is socially active youth from the Muslim community. A gifted speaker. He shouldn’t have been trolled the way he is being. He has even apologised for it,” said Noor Mahvish, a law student from Kolkata.

She further said and questioned, “Maybe the timing was wrong for Rahmani. But we shouldn’t forget the good work done by him just because of him sharing this rivayat on Dhruv Rathee’s show. Also, if they feel, Rahmani is wrong, then why are they not trolling Mufti Menk, who has also shared the same rivayat?”

Meanwhile, social activist Saira Shah Halim had some advice for the young activist, “Rahmani should not leave social media. We all get trolled for one reason or the other, but that should not make us leave any platform. There are people with right-wing mentality on both sides, and we should not bother about them.”

Hope you listening, Rahmani?