An international diplomatic storm has engulfed the ruling party of India Bharatiya Janata (BJP), the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the sanctioning of two party spokesmen for insulting comments reportedly made towards the Prophet Muhammad .
BJP national spokeswoman Nupur Sharma was suspended from the party’s main membership on Sunday for comments in a recent televised debate, while the head of the BJP’s media operation in Delhi, Naveen Kumar Jindal, also be expelled, according to BJP media documents and reports.
Sharma is said to have insulted the prophet and his wife Aisha in a televised debate last week. After a shout out for comments made during the debate, it is said that Sharma’s companion Jindal posted a now deleted tweet about the prophet that also angered many.
The statements have been accused of clashes in an Indian state and have also prompted demands for the arrest of the spokesperson in India.
Indian ambassadors to Kuwait and Qatar were summoned on Sunday to receive official notes of protest over the comments, and Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the “very derogatory remarks” and the BJP’s response.
“These totally unacceptable comments have not only deeply hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan, but also of billions of Muslims around the world,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The BJP’s attempt to clarify and the late and superficial disciplinary measures against these people cannot alleviate the pain and anguish they have caused in the Muslim world,” the ministry said.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Indian ambassador to present an official note “expressing the disappointment of the State of Qatar and its total rejection and condemnation of the controversial statements,” the news agency reported. state QNA.
Despite welcoming the BJP statement and the suspension of staff, Qatar expects a public apology and a condemnation of the statements of the Government of India.
“The state of Qatar calls on the government of India to immediately condemn these statements and to publicly apologize to all Muslims in the world,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman @majedalansari: Qatar apologizes publicly to Indian government for statements by government official in government against Prophet Muhammad #MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/NnN1khKw6X
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) June 5
Kuwait also summoned the Indian ambassador and said it had handed the ambassador a note of protest in which Kuwait rejected and denounced statements made by the BJP official, Reuters reported.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the second largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the United Nations, with a collective population of more than 1.8 billion, also added its voice to the condemnation.
“The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the recent insults issued by a ruling party official in India to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,” the organization said. 57 members in a statement. statement.
Saudi Arabia condemned the statements, calling the spokesman’s comments “insulting” and calling for “respect for beliefs and religions,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
“International price to pay”
Delhi journalist Saba Naqvi told Al Jazeera that the BJP had previously benefited politically from the “mobilization” against Muslims in India.
“But in this case, there has been an international price to pay,” Naqvi said.
“India has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, so the world has realized that this is happening,” he said.
In a statement on Sunday, the BJP said it respects all religions and “strongly denounces the insult to any religious personality of any religion.”
“The Bharatiya Janata Party is also strongly opposed to any ideology that insults or denounces any sect or religion. The BJP does not promote these people or this philosophy,” the party said.
“The Constitution of India gives every citizen the right to practice any religion of his choice and to honor and respect every religion.”
The statement did not refer directly to the insulting comments or sanctions of the two party officials.
The controversy has angered social media users in Arab countries who have called for a boycott of Indian products, denounced the escalation of hatred against Islam and Muslims, and accused India of following in its footsteps. of France and China in promoting Islamophobia.
In April, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged the U.S. State Department for the third year in a row to place India on a list of “countries of special concern” in terms. of religious freedom.
The independent bipartisan group accused India of “complicating and tolerating systematic, continuous and flagrant violations of religious freedom”.
“During the year, the Indian government intensified the promotion and implementation of policies, including those that promote a Hindu nationalist agenda, that negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and other religious minorities,” the commission said. in its annual report (PDF).
In a statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it was “also deeply concerned about the alarming increase in communal violence and hatred against Muslims in India”.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also intervened in the controversy, accusing the Modi government of “allowing itself to get away with its Islamophobic policy”.
Strongly condemn the hateful attack of a BJP spokesman on our beloved Holy Prophet PBUH. The Modi government has deliberately pursued a policy of provocation and hatred towards Muslims in India, including incitement to violence by vigilantes against them.
– Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 5, 2022
Qatar’s Deputy Foreign Minister Lolwah al-Khater also said that “Islamophobic discourse” has reached “dangerous levels” in India, a country known for its “diversity and coexistence.” Hate speech against Muslims in India must be officially confronted, al-Khater said.
Islamophobic discourse has reached dangerous levels in a country long known for its diversity and coexistence. Unless they confront each other formally and systemically, the systemic hate speech directed at #Islam in #India will be considered a deliberate insult against the 2 billion Muslims.
– Lolwah Alkhater (@Lolwah_Alkhater) June 5, 2022
In a tweet on Sunday, BJP’s suspended spokeswoman Sharma responded to the controversy by saying she had said things in response to comments about a Hindu god, but that it was never an “intention to hurt anyone’s religious feelings.” “and I wanted to ‘unconditionally withdraw my statement.’
In a later tweet, Sharma said a “security threat” had been made against her family.
Reuters reported that Jindal, his colleague who was expelled by the party, said on Twitter that he had questioned some comments made against Hindu gods: “I only questioned them but that does not mean that they were against any religion “.