Woman allegedly denied house on rent because of her religion

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

A Bengaluru-based woman has alleged that she has been denied housing on the basis of her religion. Her tweet has gone viral and sparked debate on social media platforms.

The woman, Haifa, posted screenshots of her interactions with homeowners where she was asked about her religion and denied the house after the landlord learned that she was a Muslim.

 She tweeted, “If everyone is done celebrating the 75th anniversary of independence, here is how I spent my August 15th.” She shared two screenshots of her conversation with the house owners. The first chat showed Haifa being asked if she belonged to a Hindu family, and she replied by saying she is a Muslim. She asked whether that was a problem, and was told it was an issue as the owner wanted a Hindu family. In the second screenshot, the owner asked for her name and if she was a Muslim.

After the post went viral on social media platforms, people shared similar incidents where they have been denied housing based on their religious identity.

 Another Twitter user Adiba said, “The same thing happened to me. I was denied housing by several house owners in Bengaluru because I am a Muslim.” Several users also mentioned that many people were denied housing because they ate non-vegetarian food or consumed liquor.

 Many also said they were denied housing after the owner learned that they are Sikh or Christian. According to the Fair Housing Act (FHA), “Housing providers, including landlords and property managers, cannot treat renters or buyers differently because of their religion.”

 It also stated, “Advertisements for housing should not contain an explicit preference based on religion.”