India in damage control mode over backlash to ‘anti-Islamic rhetoric’
BJP TAKES ACTION AGAINST SPOKESPERSONS AS MUSLIM ANGER GROWS AT HOME AND ABROAD
THE Indian government sought on Monday (6) to calm anger at home and abroad after two officials of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, with 38 people arrested for rioting in a northern city.
The arrests in the city of Kanpur were part of an effort to quell sporadic religious tension that arose after two officials from prime minister Narendra Modi’s BJP made comments that have generated widespread anger among Muslims in India and overseas.
The party’s spokeswoman, Nupur Sharma, describing the Prophet Mohammed’s relationship with his youngest wife sparked a furore among Muslims.
The BJP last Sunday (5) suspended Sharma for expressing “views contrary to the party’s position” and said it “respects all religions”.
Sharma said on Twitter that her comments had been in response to “insults” made against the Hindu god Shiva.
“If my words have caused discomfort or hurt religious feelings of anyone whatsoever, I hereby unconditionally withdraw my statement,” she said.
Another BJP spokesman Naveen Jindal was expelled from the party over comments he made about Islam on social media, the party office said.
Jindal said on Twitter he had questioned comments made against Hindu gods. “I only questioned them, but that does not mean I am against any religion.”
Indonesia summoned India’s envoy in Jakarta over the “derogatory” remarks, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday (7).
Last Sunday, Qatar demanded that India apologise for the “Islamophobic” comments, as India’s vice president Venkaiah Naidu visited the gas-rich Gulf state in a bid to bolster trade.
Some of India’s top officials were engaged in managing the diplomatic fallout as a number of countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran demanded an apology from the government for allowing the derogatory remarks, an Indian foreign ministry official said.
Last weekend, Indian diplomats in the Gulf and neighbouring Islamic nations were summoned by officials in those countries to protest against the comments.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in a statement, said: “These insults come in the context of the increasing intensity in hatred of and insults to Islam in India and the systematic harassment of Muslims.”
The influential 57-member body cited the latest decision to ban the hijab at educational institutions in several Indian states, and the destruction of Muslim property, to highlight what it said was the Indian government’s bias.
In Kuwait, supermarket workers piled Indian tea and other products into trolleys in a protest against comments denounced as “Islamophobic”.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also condemned the remarks, saying they were “contrary to moral and humanitarian values and principles”.
Its foreign ministry underlined the “need for respecting religious symbols... and countering hate speech”, the state news agency WAM reported.
Pakistan’s armed forces “strongly condemn blasphemous remarks” by Indian officials, it tweeted.
“The outrageous act is deeply hurtful and clearly indicates extreme level of hate against Muslims and other religions in India,” it added.
India’s foreign ministry said in a statement the offensive tweets and comments did not, in any way, reflect the views of the government.
“Strong action has already been taken against these individuals by relevant bodies...It is regrettable that OIC secretariat has yet again chosen to make misleading and mischievous comments,” said Arindam Bagchi, a government spokesperson.
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home of its two holiest sites, welcomed the action taken by the BJP to suspend Sharma.
Meanwhile, a senior official at the Qatar embassy in New Delhi said Modi’s government must publicly distance itself from the comments.
“Hurting our religious sentiments can directly impact economic ties,” the official said, adding they were checking reports about the boycott of Indian goods by some supermarket owners in Qatar.
India’s trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, stood at around $90 billion (£71.45bn) in 2020-21.
Gulf countries are also a major destination for India’s overseas workers, accounting for 8.7 million out of a worldwide total of 13.5 million, Indian foreign ministry figures show.
They are also big importers of produce from India and elsewhere, with Kuwait importing 95 per cent of its food, according to the trade minister.
Modi, in recent years, has strengthened India’s economic ties with the energy-rich nations, the top source for the country’s fuel imports.
Muslims make up around 13 per cent of India’s 1.35 billion people. (Agencies)