Leaders of prominent Islamic groups and mosques in India have called on other Muslims to suspend plans to protest contemptuous remarks about the Prophet Muhammad by two members of the Hindu nationalist party in government.
Key points:
- Tensions in India are high after two ruling party members made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad
- Islamic leaders have called on Muslims not to attend planned protests
- The Muslim community represents 13% of the population of India
The message to prevent major rallies spread after the protests took a violent turn last week, killing two teenage Muslims and injuring more than 30, including police.
Malik Aslam, a senior member of the Muslim organization Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, called for peace and unity among Islam in India to combat the despicable comments.
“It is the duty of all Muslims to be united when someone despises Islam, but at the same time it is essential to keep the peace,” he said.
Earlier this month, two senior members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made comments that offended Muslims.
A party spokeswoman made the comment in a televised debate and a party spokeswoman on social media.
The party suspended them and said it was denouncing any insult to any religion.
Indian police have also filed cases against the two, but that has not stopped angry Muslims from taking to the streets in protest.
Police detained at least 400 suspected rioters during riots in several states, imposed curfews and suspended Internet services in some places.
Many Muslims in India have been questioning their place in society since Modi came to power in 2014, downplaying their roots in a powerful Hindu nationalist group to which their party is affiliated.
Critics have said his BJP has followed a line of confrontation, promoting the idea that India is a Hindu nation and has rounded out “anti-national” opponents, which many Muslims see as an attempt to marginalize them.
The Muslim community represents 13% of the population of India.
Authorities in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday demolished the home of a Muslim linked to the riots, with the condemnation of the state government, led by the BJP, by constitutional experts and rights groups.
Muslims and rights groups interpreted the destruction of the house as a punishment for the riots, but state authorities said it was because it was built illegally on public land.
“We are not demolishing houses to prevent Muslims from protesting, as they have every right to take to the streets,” said an aide to the state’s hardline Hindu leader.
Modi has not commented on the anti-Islam statements that sparked the protests, although the condemnation has grown abroad.
Countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iran, India’s major trading partners, have filed diplomatic protests.
Reuters