More than 15 international locations thus far have condemned the remarks by suspended BJP spokespersons on Prophet Mohammad
More than 15 international locations thus far have condemned the remarks by suspended BJP spokespersons on Prophet Mohammad
The story thus far: China on June 13joined the listing of nations which have responded with various intensities to the Prophet remarks controversy, saying that it hoped the incident could possibly be “properly managed”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin mentioned whereas responding to reporters in Beijing: “It is important to abandon arrogance and prejudice, and important to deepen recognition and understanding of one’s own civilisation and differences from other civilisations and promote dialogue and harmonious co-existence.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh on Sunday, June 12, regardless of continued protests within the nation over the controversy, took a reasonably impartial stance on the matter as being India’s “internal issue.” This, nonetheless, has not been the case with a number of different international locations as India offers with the diplomatic fallout of the controversial remarks made by now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal on Prophet Mohammad in late May on tv information channel Times Now.
More than 15 international locations have condemned the remarks, beginning with Qatar, at a time when it was internet hosting Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. The remarks have landed India in a difficult international coverage scenario with West Asian nations with which it has essential commerce and diplomatic relations. Over 89 lakh Indians residing or working within the Gulf additionally make it an space of diplomatic concern for India.
The row additionally elicited a response from a United Nations (UN) spokesperson, who calledfor “respect and tolerance” for all religions.
Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran
While social media customers in Arab international locations had been already taking offence to the remarks and calling for a boycott of Indian items by early June, the primary official response from an Arab nation got here on June 5, when the Qatari Foreign Ministry summoned Indian ambassador Deepak Mittal and handed him a word expressing the “total rejection and condemnation of the remarks” made by the suspended BJP spokespersons. Stating that the remarks “would lead to incitement of religious hatred, and offend more than two million Muslims around the world,” the Qatari authorities demanded a public apology.
The transfer put unprecedented stress on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) because it got here a day after Vice President Venkaiah Naidu flew to Doha, starting a three-nation tour. Incidentally, Qatari officers cancelled a banquet to be held in Mr. Naidu’s honour, saying that his counterpart the Deputy Emir Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani had been uncovered to a person contaminated with Covid-19 lately. However, in a departure from the diplomatic norm, he didn’t depute another person to host the banquet, which turned a matter of concern for the MEA.
Hours after the summoning of the ambassador, the Indian Embassy in Qatar launched a press release saying that “the Government of India accords the highest respect to all religions,” and that “strong action has already been taken against those who made the derogatory remarks.” It added that the federal government had nothing to do with the feedback, which had been made by “fringe elements.”
It additionally referred to a press release issued by the BJP emphasizing “respect for all religions, denouncing insult to any religious personality or demeaning any religion or sect.”
Also learn: Nupur Sharma | In the attention of the storm
After Qatar, Kuwait adopted swimsuit and summoned the Indian ambassador Sibi George, handing him a demarche demanding a “public apology for those hostile comments”. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait issued an analogous assertion in response.
On the identical day, Iran too summoned the Indian Ambassador to Tehran over the controversial feedback. This got here simply three days earlier than the primary go to of its Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to Delhi.
As the diplomatic storm picked up, the BJP moved to droop Ms. Sharma, and the Delhi unit of the social gathering expelled its media cell head, Naveen Kumar Jindal from the first membership of the social gathering.
Pakistan
Pakistan has been very vocal in its response to the controversy. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on June 5, calling the feedback “hurtful” and accusing the Modi authorities of “trampling [on] religious freedoms and persecuting Muslims.”
The official spokesperson of the MEA , Arindam Bagchi, gave a stern response to Mr. Sharif’s feedback by declaring that the “absurdity of a serial violator of minority rights commenting on the treatment of minorities in another nation” was “not lost on anyone.”
“The world has been witness to the systemic persecution of minorities, together with Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Ahmadiyyas, by Pakistan,” he added.
On June 6, the Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the Indian charge d’affaires to condemn the remarks. In the subsequent days, Pakistan also passed a resolution condemning the comments in both houses of its Parliament while lawmakers in the country called for protests.
OIC and GGC
The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) not solely condemned the remarks made by the now-suspended spokespersons but in addition linked the row to the hijab ban controversy which came about earlier this 12 months and the reported demolition of Muslim properties within the aftermath of communal violence.
The Jeddah-based secretariat of the OIC mentioned that the statements in regards to the Prophet got here within the context of “escalation of hatred and abuse of Islam in India and in the context of the systematic practices against Muslims and restrictions on them…”
Responding to the OIC, Mr. Bagchi of the MEA informed reporters at a press convention that the Organisation ought to cease its “communal approach” and mentioned it was “regrettable that the OIC Secretariat has yet again chosen to make motivated, misleading and mischievous comments”.
“This only exposes its divisive agenda being pursued at the behest of vested interests,” he said.
While India reacted strongly to the OIC’s remarks, it stayed silent on a statement issued by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC), with which New Delhi maintains strong ties.
The statement, issued in the name of GGC Secretary-General Nayef Falah M Al Hajraf, condemned the remarks in strong terms, stating that “His Excellency the Secretary General affirmed his categorical rejection of prejudicing all the prophets and apostles as well as personalities and religious symbols, stressing the position that rejects provocation, targeting or underestimating beliefs and religions”
More than a dozen different international locations
Diplomatic pressures mounted as a number of different Arab international locations and international locations with a majority Muslim inhabitants lodged their protest over the contentious remarks, together with UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Turkey, Maldives, Indonesia, Libya, Iraq, Malaysia, and even the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
United Arab Emirates (UAE), a vital companion within the Gulf, issued a press release condemning the remarks insulting the Prophet. The UAE Foreign Ministry “underscored the need to respect religious symbols and not violate them, as well as confront hate speech and violence.” UAE had recently concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India and is a crucial aviation and investment destination for the country.
The MoFA of Sauda Arabia on June 6 also tweeted a statement denouncing the “insulting” remarks, rejecting the “prejudice against the symbols of the Islamic religion.”.
According to PTI, a spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party AKP also decried the remarks against the Prophet as “an insult to all Muslims”.
Iraq’s state-backed news agency also reported that the country’s government found the comments about the Prophet “malicious” and “disgraceful”, per the PTI report.
Meanwhile, Malaysia summoned the Indian High Commissioner B.N. Reddy over the remarks, while also issuing a statement calling upon India to “work together in ending the Islamophobia and cease any provocative acts in the interest of peace and stability. While welcoming the BJP’s move to suspend the spokespersons, the statement added that their remarks had enraged the Muslim Ummah.
Source: www.thehindu.com
