INDIA FACES HUGE BLOWBACK AFTER HATE SPEECH AGAINST PROPHET; MUSLIM COUNTRIES CALL FOR PUBLIC APOLOGY

Tue 07 June 2022:

Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have previously accused Narendra Modi’s governing party of looking the other way and even enabling hate speech against Muslims

India’s diplomatic nightmare over provocative remarks regarding the Prophet Muhammad made by two top members of the ruling party shows no signs of ending.

At least 15 countries, including Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Maldives, Libya, Turkiye and Indonesia have lodged official protests against India over the controversial remarks. 

ISLAMIC COUNTRIES INCLUDING THE OIC CRITICIZE REMARKS BY BJP SPOKESWOMAN AGAINST PROPHET  

The countries expressed their denunciation and rejection of insults of the Prophet Muhammad, and demanded an apology from the government.

Indian diplomats have been trying to placate these countries – it shares cordial relations with most of them – but the storm is far from over.

​At home, the opposition parties stepped up pressure for legal action against the two BJP leaders and accused the party of denting the country’s image at the international level.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that the offensive tweets and comments “did not, in any way, reflect the views of the government. These are the views of fringe elements”.

The BJP has suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Naveen Jindal over the controversial comments. The party on Sunday issued a statement, saying it is “strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion” and “does not promote such people or philosophy”.

GRAND MUFTI OF OMAN, ARAB CITIZEN CALLS FOR BOYCOTT INDIAN PRODUCTS AFTER INSULTING REMARKS AGAINST PROPHET MUHAMMAD

But experts say that the BJP’s response may not be enough after what looked like the country’s internal matter took an international turn. The anger in the Islamic world is evident from some of the statements from these countries.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the remarks and urged the United Nations to take necessary measures to ensure that the rights of minorities are protected in India.

Qatar, Iran and Kuwait had on Sunday summoned Indian ambassadors to express their strong protest and condemnation of the remarks. The embassies later issued statements, saying the “offensive tweets” by individuals in India “do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the government of India”.

AFTER QATAR, KUWAIT SUMMONS INDIAN ENVOY OVER BJP LEADERS’ REMARKS ON PROPHET

In a statement, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi said “these insulting remarks would lead to incitement of religious hatred, and offend more than two billion Muslims around the world”.

Doha is expecting “a public apology and immediate condemnation of these remarks” from the Indian government, said the statement, which came as India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu visited the wealthy Gulf state on Sunday in a bid to bolster trade.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Summons the Indian Ambassador and Hands Him an Official Note on Qatar’s Total Rejection and Condemnation of the Remarks of an Official in the Ruling Party in India Against Prophet Mohammed#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/rp7kMnWXdu

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) June 5, 2022

Stores in Kuwait boycott Indian goods after remarks on the Prophet Mohammed by an official in India’s ruling party.#إلا_رسول_الله_يا_مودي #BoycottIndianProducts #BoycottIndia #nupursharmabjp pic.twitter.com/f1XMgV7clc

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) June 6, 2022

The controversial remarks also sparked a trend on social media in various countries calling for a boycott of Indian products.

The comments were made by Nupur Sharma during a TV debate last week in the backdrop of a series of communal incidents across the country. BJP media chief Naveen Jindal posted a tweet about the Prophet, which he later deleted. 

The Delhi Police have provided security to Nupur Sharma and her family after a case was registered on a complaint that she was getting death threats. Ms Sharma earlier posted an apology on Twitter, saying that it was not her intention to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.

QATAR SUMMONS INDIAN ENVOY OVER LEADER’S REMARKS AGAINST PROPHET MUHAMMAD; BJP SUSPENDS NUPUR SHARMA