Not knowing Mia Khalifa is "blasphemous": Prof Dilip Mandal

When scientist and JNU professor Anand Ranganathan revealed he didn't know former porn-star Mia Khalifa, netizens jumped to react. But one such reaction got extra attention and turned controvertial. Read on to know more.

The farmers' protest in India drew global attention after world-renowned figures including Rihanna, Lily Singh, Amanda Cerny Human Rights Watch and Greta Thunberg extended their support to the farmers. But Twitter deviated from the topic of farmers when Mia Khalifa joined the protest on social media.

"What in the human rights violations is going on?! They cut the internet around New Delhi?!" Mia Khalifa tweeted. Soon after, many users reacted, some supported her opinion while some criticised. But what also caught everyone's attention is a war of words between two influential personalities on Twitter - JNU professor and scientist Anand Ranganathan and columnist at The Print professor Dilip Mandal.

How it all started?

Ranganathan's tweet about not knowing who Mia Khalifa is cracked up netizens, drawing humorous responses from many. Joining the parade was Mandal, who spoke his mind about Ranganathan's tweet on Mia. Things quickly escalated and the virtual world of Twitter was divided.

"Greta I knew, but I had to google to find out who this Mia Khalifa is. Now I am worried Google is going to bombard me with targeted ads of her," Ranganathan tweeted.

"That is UC merit for you! You may dislike the view @miakhalifa has taken on Farmers Protest , you may criticise her, but not knowing her should be considered criminal and blasphemous in the domain of journalism and mass communication. A sad commentary on Indian Journalism," Mandal reacted, which didn't go down well with many.

Ranganathan wasn't too fond of Mandal's response, to which he responded saying: "Now who is this clown? Something about him tells me he knows Mia really well." Mandal didn't stop there. "Why are you so angry? Have I hurt your caste pride?" Mandal reacted.

The farmers' issue was completely sidelined in this debate about who Mia Khalifa is, a former porn-star. Mandal's remark about not knowing Mia Khalifa is blasphemous was in the context of her influence in the field of entertainment journalism.