There is increasing international backlash against India as Muslim countries condemn the recent insult of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) after comments made by two members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Several Arab nations, including Pakistan and Afghanistan reacted to the anti-Islam comments by Indian politicians, while anger poured in on social media with people calling for boycott of Indian goods in some Arab countries.
Muslim countries severely condemned India and made it clear that insult of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) will not be tolerated at any cost. The anger has been growing since last week after two BJP members, including National Spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, and Delhi BJP staff Naveen Jindal, had made remarks that were seen as insulting to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Furthermore, no action was taken by Modi’s party since the comment made by the two member until severe outrage began with Arab countries like Qatar and Kuwait summoning their Indian ambassadors to protest.
In a statement, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Soltan Bin Baad Al-Muraikhi said, “these insulting remarks would lead to incitement of religious hatred, and offend more than two billion Muslims around the world.”
Meanwhile, Doha is expecting a “a public apology and immediate condemnation of these remarks” from the Indian Government, said the president, which came as India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu visited the wealthy Gulf state on Sunday in a bid to bolster trade.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah al-Khater said, “The Islamophobic discourse has reached dangerous levels in a country long known for its diversity and coexistence. Unless officially and systemically confronted, the systemic hate speech targeting Islam in India will be considered a deliberate insult against two billion Muslims.”
Kuwait also warned that if the comments against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were to go unpunished, there would be an “increase of extremism and hatred” in India. Furthermore, the grand mufti of the sultanate of Oman also described the anti-Islam comments as a form of “war.”
Saudi Arabia also said that comments were “insulting” and called for “respect for beliefs and religions” as it lodged complaints with India.
The Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said the remarks came in a “context of intensifying hatred and abuse toward Islam in India and systematic practices against Muslims”.
The Indian Foreign Ministry has rejected the comments by the OIC as “unwarranted” and “narrow-minded.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister also summoned an Indian diplomat and conveyed Islamabad’s strong condemnation on the matter. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that comments were “hurtful” and that “India under Modi is trampling religious freedoms and persecuting Muslims.”
The Taliban government in Afghanistan said India should not allow “such fanatics to insult … Islam and provoke the feelings of Muslims”.
In view of the increasing backlash, the Indian Embassy in Qatar released a statement on Sunday, saying that views expressed against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Islam were not that of the Indian Government but were made by “fringe elements.”
The statement added that strong action had been taken against those who made the derogatory remarks. Meanwhile, India’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday said that the offensive tweets and comments did not, in anyway, reflect the views of the Indian Government.
The BJP has suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims who make up about 14 percent of India’s 1.35 billion people.
Read more: Indian Court Sentences Hurriyat Leader Yasin Malik to Life-Imprisonment.
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