During a rally in Haryana, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the country’s Muslim community while defending controversial amendments to the Waqf Properties Act.
In a surprising statement, Modi claimed that Muslim men were pushed into cycle puncture repair jobs due to the mismanagement of Waqf properties—echoing a frequent trope used by Hindu right-wing groups on social media, where Muslims are often demeaned as “illiterate,” engaged in “odd jobs,” or falsely labeled as “terrorists.”
However, this time, India’s Muslim community took to social media to challenge Modi’s narrative with a wave of irony and pride.
A Muslim physics professor posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) solving a complex equation on a blackboard, jokingly captioning it as searching for “punctures,” blaming Waqf mismanagement for his academic career.
Similarly, a Muslim engineer shared a photo of himself working at a computer, sarcastically claiming he was “fixing punctures,” while a graduate posted a convocation photo from India’s top engineering institute, again mockingly referring to it as “puncture work.”
Doctors, historians, archaeologists, entrepreneurs, and other Muslim professionals joined in, sharing snapshots of their careers with similarly ironic captions, effectively dismantling Modi’s stereotype without the need for slogans or angry speeches.
According to The Telegraph, the posts served as a quiet yet powerful statement—showcasing the community’s achievements while turning the insult on its head.
Modi, well-known for his history of anti-Muslim rhetoric, has often faced backlash from opposition parties and Muslim leaders for his divisive remarks.
