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Been Trying to Rent A Home Since 2019 as Landlords Refuse Muslims

Several of my friends have faced similar problems.

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My Report
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Video Editor: Kunal Mehra

I have been hunting for a house in Delhi since October 2019. Albeit futile, it has been a learning process at the least. This is because my name is Mariya Salim.

When the owners find out that the person who’s wanting to rent out their places is a ‘Muslim’, they either stop answering phone calls of the brokers or outright say ‘no Muslim tenants’. This is not just a personal experience. Several of my friends have faced similar problems owing to their religious identity.

  • Here’s how conversations with brokers go.

    (Photo: Mariya Salim)

This, when I do not have clear identity markers. I can only imagine what happens when a sister of mine goes looking for a place with a hijab on. I think they will not even let them enter their spaces.

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The effects are also felt elsewhere. To hide my religious identity, I had to also change my name on cab aggregator services. I changed it from Mariya to Maya as there have been times when the taxi drivers have asked if I am “Mohammedan”.

As a single girl who’s coming back from work, protests, and other things, it’s extremely difficult. I worry for my safety.

With the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, there is talk of people having to leave the country. And here I am, trying to look for a house!

This kind of discrimination makes me depressed. It makes me angry to not be able to live a life of dignity. I have grown up in a Muslim ghetto all my life and I am working really hard to want to move to a place where there are basic amenities and infrastructure. To not able to do that because somebody feels that I don’t deserve it because of who I am and in what religion I follow is angering. One can only hope better sense prevails.

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Some people tell me, “Oh! We are non-vegetarians, we face the same” or “we are musicians and people have the same problem with us.”

To those people I would like to say: As musicians, you can hide your guitar, as non-vegetarians you can lie about your food habits. As a Muslim, I cannot hide my identity. My name is Mariya Salim and I will always be Mariya Salim.

(The author is a human rights activist and researcher. All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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