Trolled, Celebrity radio jockey and actor Mir Afsar Ali hits back at fanatics with Bible verse

KOLKATA: Indian pacer Mohammed Shami was not the only victim of religious bigotry on social media. Celebrity radio jockey and actor Mir Afsar Ali was also trolled online after he posted a picture of his family celebrating Christmas on Sunday. Some of the comments were so obnoxious that Ali promptly deleted them, lest they have been picked up by others and the issue spiralled out of hand. "I posted a photo of my family on my official Facebook page to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I wrote, 'With two santas - my wife and daughter - in my life, everyday is Baradin.' Some of the comments that followed were shocking. I was advised by one person to seek forgiveness from the almighty Allah. Another said, my post was very unsuitable for someone practising Islam. And, a third even had the audacity to tell me that I should ask my wife and daughter to wear hijab," he said.Ali, who excels in stand-up comedy and has been featured in the Kapil Sharma Show, shot back: "I spent 15 years of my life in a Christian missionary school: The Assembly of God Church. I went to a masjid on Ripon Street and learnt the Holy Quran and several other Islamic books for three years. And I married a Hindu Brahmin who was not forced to convert to Islam. All I can say for these scumbags is ironically in the words of Lord Jesus Christ: 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing' (Book of Luke, Chapter 23, Verse 34)."He recounted having faced problems when looking for a house to rent in the non-Muslim neighbourhoods. He had been spared of petty comments due to his well-off social status. "I cannot crib about being treated unfairly because I am a Muslim. In fact, my religious identity does not strike most people as they see me as an entertainer. Hence, what I faced online came as a shock. Intolerance is becoming a craft in itself," he said.While most of the offensive comments were made by Bangladeshi nationals, Ali worries, the fanaticism is not just limited across the border but deeply rooted in our society as well. "Narrow-minded people have always been there. It's just that today, you get to read and talk about it more often," he added.