Modi’s party did not take any action against them until Sunday, when a sudden outburst of diplomatic outrage began with Qatar and Kuwait summoning its Indian ambassadors to protest. The BJP suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal and issued a rare statement saying it “strongly denounces the insult of any religious personality,” a move that was welcomed by Qatar and Kuwait.
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Later, Saudi Arabia and Iran also lodged complaints with India, and the Jeddha-based Islamic Cooperation Organization said the statements were made in a “context of intensification of ‘hatred and abuses towards Islam in India and systematic practices against Muslims’.
India’s Foreign Ministry on Monday rejected OIC comments as “unjustified” and “narrow-minded”. On Sunday, the Indian embassies in Qatar and Kuwait issued a statement saying that the views expressed on the Prophet Muhammad and Islam were not those of the Indian government and were made by “marginal elements”.
The statement said that strong action had already been taken against those who made the derogatory remarks.
Criticism from Muslim countries, however, was harsh, indicating that insulting the Prophet Muhammad was a red line.
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The Qatari Foreign Ministry said it expected a public apology from the Indian government, and Kuwait warned that if the comments went unpunished, India would see “an increase in extremism and hatred.”
Oman’s Grand Mufti described Modi’s party’s “obscene rudeness” towards Islam as a form of “war”.
Riyadh said the comments were insulting and called for “respect for beliefs and religions.” And the Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt, the world’s largest institution of Sunni religious learning, described the statements as “genuine terrorism (which) can plunge the entire world into serious crises and deadly wars.”
Sharma’s statements during a TV show in India and Jindal in a tweet run the risk of damaging India’s ties with Arab nations.
India maintains strong relations with the Gulf countries, which depend on millions of migrant workers from India and other parts of South Asia to serve their small local populations and drive the machinery of daily life. India also relies on oil-rich Gulf Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, to fuel its energy-thirsty economy.
Indian Muslims in Bombay hold banners calling for the arrest of Nupur Sharma, a spokesman for the ruling Hindu nationalist party. Credit: AP
The statements also angered the arch-rival and neighbor of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
On Monday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned an Indian diplomat and conveyed Islamabad’s “strong condemnation”, a day after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the comments were “hurtful” and that “India under Modi he tramples on religious freedoms and persecutes Muslims. “
The Indian Foreign Ministry responded by calling Pakistan “a serious violator of minority rights” and said it should not engage in “alarmist propaganda and attempt to promote communal disharmony in India”.
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“India has the utmost respect for all religions,” said ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi.
Criticism also came from Kabul. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said the Indian government should not allow “these fanatics to insult … Islam and provoke the feelings of Muslims.”
Modi’s party also faced the wrath of some of its own fans, but it was for a different reason. Many Hindu nationalists posted comments on social media saying that the government was giving in under international pressure.
Feelings and anti-Muslim attacks have increased in India under Modi. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said India was seeing “growing attacks on people and places of worship,” and got a response from Delhi, which called the comments ” misinformed “.
More recently, religious tensions have risen after some Hindu groups went to a local court in the northern city of Varanasi to ask permission to pray in a 17th-century mosque, alleging that it was built by demolishing a temple. Critics say these tensions have been exacerbated by Indian TV presenters during stupid debates.
AP
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