On Monday, 6 June action was taken against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Countries which are condemning the comments of ex BJP leaders are Turkiye, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Maldives, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia.
“The controversy over Nupur Sharma’s remarks and Naveen Jindal’s tweets has not only hurt our development agenda but also dented the image of the government and Prime Minister at the international level,” a party leader said.
On June 1, Kumar took to his official Twitter handle and posted a tweet which triggered a massive nationwide outrage. In his post, the BJP leader had made controversial remarks regarding Prophet Muhammad, which triggered a massive row- not only in India but also in countries like Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran, who summoned the Indian envoy regarding the matter.
Opposition parties have demanded the arrest of Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal for controversial remarks on the Prophet Mohammad and accused BJP of harming the image of the country.
The BJP suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Naveen Kumar Jindal on Monday in a fire-fighting exercise, but opposition parties remarked it as mere drama and sham and demanded strict legal action against the two.
Qatar and Kuwait summoned India’s Ambassadors and handed over to them protest notes. They categorically rejected and condemned the controversial remarks.
Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the State, handed the note to the Ambassador of India. In its note, the Qatar government said Islamophobic remarks to continue without punishment, constitutes a grave danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further prejudice and marginalisation. It said for more than two billion Muslim in the world, Prophet Muhammad’s message of peace, understanding and tolerance is a beacon of light.
Meanwhile, the Kuwait Foreign Ministry said that the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait was summoned and handed over an official protest note, expressing Kuwait’s “categorical rejection and condemnation” of the statements against the Prophet.
However, later both the countries welcomed BJP’s remarks and action against the leaders.
“Strong action has already been taken against those who made the derogatory remarks. In line with our civilisational heritage and strong cultural traditions of unity in diversity, Government of India accords the highest respect to all religions,” the Indian Embassy said.
In Qatar, the Indian Embassy said that Ambassador conveyed the tweets by Jindal didn’t reflect the views of the Government if India, and these were the views of fringe elements.
Qatar and Kuwait are two of the most prosperous Muslim countries in the world. They have deep cultural and trade ties with India. The two countries host lakhs of Indian expats who work in all quarters of life there. A large number of Indian Muslims live in Qatar and Kuwait and are influential in some pockets. In the Arab world, a Twitter campaign calling for a boycott of Indian products was also being run over the remarks.
A Kuwaiti supermarket pulled Indian
products from its shelves post the
controversy.
Workers at the Al-Ardiya Co-Operative
Society store piled Indian tea and other
products into trolleys in a protest against
comments denounced as “Islamophobic”.
What’s at stake?
The UAE is India’s third largest trading partner
– the second largest importer and exporter
last year – and home to over 3 million NRIs.
India’s trade with the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), which includes Kuwait, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE,
stood at $87 billion in 2020-21.
The region is also the top source for India’s
energy imports.
Surjitt Sahani
