Pahalgam aftermath: Muslim teacher suspended for supporting Himanshi Narwal

A social media post by a Muslim teacher, Zeba Afroz, commenting on the hate campaign against Pahalgam terrorist attack survivor Himanshi Narwal — who had urged people not to target Kashmiris and Muslims — led to her suspension from a government primary school in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district.

Officials said the assistant teacher at the primary school in Maloghat, Chopan, was suspended for posting 'objectionable' content on her Facebook account, per a maktoobmedia.com report.

It appears that Zeba Afroz was defending Narwal, the widow of a Navy officer slain in Pahalgam, who has been an the receiving end of both right-wing trolling and public backlash for her statement calling for peace rather than war.

Himanshi's comment, which emphasised the desire for justice and an appeal not to target Muslims or Kashmiris in the aftermath of the terrorism incident, appeared to take a stance against the broader hate campaign that followed the attack.

Her words were interpreted as an appeal for unity and a rejection of collective blame by many — and seemed very much needed in the wake of incidents targetting Kashmiris elsewhere in India as well as anti-Muslim venom.

Zeba Afroz’s remark, calling the campaign against Himanshi Narwal "disgusting and low-level thinking", reflected her strong disapproval of the targeted hate campaign. She framed the backlash against Narwal as unjust and harmful, given that the Navy widow's plea for peace and justice has been being met with clear prejudice.

Afroz’s post seemed to be a critique not only of the individuals attacking Himanshi, but also of the broader societal mindset that fuels such divisive behaviour.

It was a call to recognise the importance of fair and just responses, rather than allowing prejudice to take over in these sensitive times.