Tejasvi Surya deletes 'derogatory' tweet on Arab women as row ensues

The ghosts of past deeds or rather comments have come to haunt Bengaluru South MP and BJP’s youngest parliamentarian Tejasvi Surya this time around.

Surya has been at the receiving end of scathing social media trolls after a derogatory tweet by him on Arab women from 2015, went viral on Sunday (April 19).

The tweet, which Surya has now deleted, said, “95% Arab women have never had an orgasm in the last few hundred years! Every mother has produced kids as act of sex and not love:@TarekFatah”.

Surya had quoted an interview of Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah in 2015. In the interview with Swarajya, Fatah in response to a question on reforms in the middle east had spoken about the dismal state of women in the region.

“Ninety five percent of the Arab women have never had an orgasm in the last few hundred years! Every mother has produced kids as an act of sex and not love. Women’s genitals have been cut for thousands of years. What sort of a society are you creating with only one category of people?” he said.

The full excerpt from the interview was later tweeted by economist Rupa Subramanya on Sunday.

This is the full quote by fake news peddler Tarek Fatah which @Tejasvi_Surya quoted in his now deleted 2015 tweet. The quote is from an interview Fatah did with @SwarajyaMag . pic.twitter.com/Z22TWxkznA

— Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) April 19, 2020

The tweet that has been making rounds on social media since Sunday, has triggered widespread outrage from the middle east.

Dubai-based businesswoman Noora AlGhurair, who dubbed the MP’s tweet ‘objectionable’ said he “pitied his upbringing that has taught him to disrespect women”.

Pity Ur upbringing @Tejasvi_Surya that respect for women couldn’t be instilled in U despite India having some great female leaders .Please note if someday the govt bestows a foreign ministry to you, avoid travelling to Arab lands. You are not welcome here. This will be remembered pic.twitter.com/KJJlqJL5tR

— Noora AlGhurair (@AlGhurair98) April 19, 2020

Mejbel Al Sharika, a Kuwaiti lawyer and director of International Human Rights urged Twitter take to action against Surya for his remarks. “Dear Twitter, this Indian politicians Tejasvi Surya has racially slurred Arab women, I wonder how is his account still active? Is it not against Twitter’s official policy? Please act as Arab sentiment has been badly wounded”.

Dear @Twitter , this Indian politicians @Tejasvi_Surya has racially slurred Arab women, I wonder how is his account still active? Is it not against Twitter's official policy? Please act as Arab sentiment has been badly wounded. pic.twitter.com/JAM3hnDEjN

— المحامي⚖مجبل الشريكة (@MJALSHRIKA) April 19, 2020

(With inputs from agencies)