Swara Bhasker is known for her near-vitriolic and half-informed social media activism. However, she often takes a stand against the Taliban and its regressive control over Afghan women.
Recently she tweeted in shocked anger over how the Taliban banned women from studying nursing and midwifery. This tweet resonated with global condemnation of the ban. Yet, her reality and actions are starkly different from her Twitter activism. Let’s expose the glaring hypocrisy of this convenient feminist!
Swar Bhasker – A Taliban Critic Who “Respects” Maulana Sajjad Nomani
Absolutely horrific! Taliban finding new ways to enslave and eventually let women die because Afghan women cannot be treated by male doctors and now women cannot study medicine!! Utter insanity and monstrosity!!!! https://t.co/lUmWnEWXoA
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) December 4, 2024
Swara’s public tweet echoed her ecosystem’s outrage against the Taliban. It may seem unshakable in her stance on feminism. In the past, she tweeted extensively about the Taliban and its regressive policies. She frequently called out their draconian rules and lamented the plight of Afghan women. But during her husband Fahad Ahmad’s recent election campaign, Swara sought blessings from Maulana Sajjad Nomani.
Maulana Sajjad Nomani is a hardline Islamic cleric known for publicly praising the Taliban’s “victory” in Afghanistan.
Indian Muslim salutes Taliban for taking over Kabul says Muslim personal law board spokeperson
Sajjad Nomani.Why shouldn't he be booked under NSA ???
— Sameet Thakkar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@thakkar_sameet) August 18, 2021
Nomani’s congratulations to the Taliban weren’t casual. They were an endorsement of the group’s strict implementation of Sharia law. Thus, he subtly approves of the systematical erasure of women from public life in Afghanistan. The Maulana approves of the Taliban that likes to ban girls from schools or limit women’s mobility without male guardians.
जनाब हज़रत मौलाना सज्जाद नौमानी साहब की ख़िदमत में हाज़िर हुए और उन्होंने हमे खूब दुआओं से नवाज़ा pic.twitter.com/5P7S3OIaJj
— Fahad Ahmad (@FahadZirarAhmad) November 16, 2024
Hence, the very issues Swara claims to oppose are subtly approved by her “respected” Maulana.
Yet, Swara visited Nomani, covered head to toe in attire meant to conform to conservative Islamic norms. Her hair was hidden under a dupatta and her face was devoid of makeup. All to make Maulana Sajjad Nomani approve of her husband. This visual submission sparked criticism, not just for the wardrobe choice but for the message it sent. Why would someone so vocal against the Taliban bow, figuratively and literally, to someone who shares their ideology?
Who Is Swara’s Maulana Sajjad Nomani?
BIG NEWS 🚨 Swara Bhaskar and her NCP candidate husband Fahad Ahmed meet Maulana Sajjad Nomani.
Sajjad Nomani in a viral video has urged all Muslims to boycott fellow Muslims who voted for Modi in LS elections.
He said "Muslims should change their name to a hindu name like… pic.twitter.com/kkdE9ebPjt
— Times Algebra (@TimesAlgebraIND) November 17, 2024
Maulana Sajjad Nomani is a senior member and spokesperson of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). In Bharat, he advocates for the bycott of all Muslims who vote for BJP. Morever, he tells BJP supporting Muslims to change to Hindu names, subtly excommunicating them!
Indian Deobandi Maulana Sajjad Nomani met Hamas leaders Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal in Doha, Qatar.
He praised Hamas for their 7th october mission. He also explained that all the terrorists who went inside Israel were "Haafiz E Quran", means they had memorised… pic.twitter.com/7ogSOER7dn
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) January 21, 2024
Maulana Nomani loves Hamas. He extended full support to their 7th October attack against Israel. Why? Because they attackers read the Quran. Additionally, he is a staunch advocate of Sharia, not just in Bharat but also in the world. He was supremely delighted when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Why? Because they are an embodyiment of his personal alignment with Islamic principles. Thus, he subtly affirms the Taliban’s views on women’s education, dress codes, and subjugation.
Maulana Sajjad Nomani openly promotes ideas that women should not pursue higher education, arguing it distracts from religious faith.
Moreover, he often tells Muslim parents to not allow their daughters to go to school without escorts. He loves the Hijab almost as much as the Taliban themselves. Hence, by aligning herself with Maulana Nomani, Swara reveals her fake Liberal and Feminist mindset. Her no-make-up head-to-toe-cover-up for Nomani undermines her own advocacy against the Taliban. Critics argue that her visit signals tacit approval of the very ideology she publicly condemns.
जिनकी बच्ची , स्कूल और कॉलेज में पढ़ती है। उन मां-बाप को मालूम नहीं है। क्यों स्कूल में तालीम हासिल करने जाती है? क्या करने /
मौलाना सज्जाद साहब नोमानी का दर्द भरा बयान मां ओर बाप को सुनना चाहिए pic.twitter.com/6kXYdBHxQZ
— Baseerat Online (@BaseeratOnline) October 9, 2024
Swara Bhasker – The Hypocrisy Queen
“I swear on Allah that it is better to keep your daughters uneducated and illiterate instead of sending them to colleges.”
– Maulana Sajjad Nomani.
'Feminist' @ReallySwara is meeting this radical cleric with a full-fledged Taliban mindset. https://t.co/CbKGubrNh5
— Dibakar Dutta (দিবাকর দত্ত) (@dibakardutta_) November 17, 2024
Swara Bhasker and her duality are hard to ignore. On one hand, she tweets furiously about the Taliban’s oppressive practices. On the other, she seeks the blessings of a cleric who supports the Taliban and promotes similar ideas in India. Thus, her guise of feminism is an act to stay relevant in the ecosystem. She shed her love for ‘freedom of choice’ to gain political support for her husband.
Hence, this isn’t just a matter of political optics – it’s a direct betrayal of the values she claims to uphold.
Her choice to visit Maulana Nomani, dressed in a way that conforms to his views of “acceptable” female attire unmasks her reality. Her feminism is not a genuine stand for oppressed women. Swara Bhasker and her activism is a selective performance for gaining LeLi ecosystem “brownie points”. The same Swara Bhasker who lambasts the Taliban’s restrictions on women willingly conforms to the expectations of a radical cleric who mirrors their ideology.
Final Thoughts On Swara Bhasker
Maulana Sajjad Nomani issued an apology stating, "I had suggested the social boycott of Muslims supporting BJP and called for a vote jihad. If my words have hurt anyone's sentiments, I retract my statement and unconditionally apologize." pic.twitter.com/pMJA5CAOnK
— Angry Saffron (@AngrySaffron) November 26, 2024
Swara Bhasker’s actions exemplify the growing trend of selective outrage among public figures. Netizens creatively call her out by saying “Really Swara – Ab Bas Kar”! Activism, when driven by convenience rather than conviction, risks becoming performative. By aligning with figures like Maulana Nomani, Swara inadvertently dilutes her own and the global outcry against the Taliban.
They are Taliban,Talib e Islam. They know and understand Islam better than you.
When Sajjad Nomani said Girls should not be sent to schools,he too,was echoing true charector of his religion. https://t.co/HwdISILCMt— ताऊ नजूमी ^ Tau Najumi^ (@STilajee) December 5, 2024
The plight of Afghan women deserves genuine advocacy, not hollow gestures from has-been actresses.
If Swara Bhasker truly stands against the Taliban’s oppressive regime, she must also question those who celebrate their rule. She must eschew her associations with those who espouse similar values in Bharat. Until then, her activism is like a hijab of hypocrisy – one she willingly dons when the occasion suits her.