India faces diplomatic storm over derogatory remarks about Islam, Prophet

India is finding itself in the throes of a major diplomatic storm in the wake of Islamophobic remarks by the ruling party's spokespersons, drawing the ire of many Muslim-majority countries.

The latest to join the chorus are Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have reacted strongly to derogatory remarks by the spokespersons of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Islam and the Prophet Mohammad.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Monday summoned India’s chargé d'affaires in Islamabad and conveyed its “strong condemnation” of remarks made by BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif earlier said the comments were “hurtful” and that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “trampling religious freedoms and persecuting Muslims.”

The new rulers in Kabul also reacted strongly, saying the Indian government should not allow “such fanatics to insult Islam and provoke the feelings of Muslims.”

While India’s relations with Pakistan remain strained, it has also refused to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Many Muslim countries have in recent days lodged an official protest against the Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi, calling the remarks provocative and unjustified.

Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Maldives, Jordan, Bahrain, and Libya have joined Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman in lodging official complaints against India.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the Indian envoy to Tehran to convey strong protest of the Iranian government and people over the sacrilegious comments against Prophet Muhammad, the ministry said in a statement.

Iran summons Indian ambassador over sacrilegious remarks against Prophet Muhammad

Iran’s Foreign Ministry summons the Indian ambassador to protest offensive remarks against Prophet Muhammad during a news channel debate.

Indonesia, home to the largest number of Muslims in the world, also summoned the Indian ambassador in Jakarta to register its protest. 

“Indonesia strongly condemns unacceptable derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by two Indian politicians,” read the statement by the Indonesian foreign ministry.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said the remarks came in a “context of intensifying hatred and abuse toward Islam in India and systematic practices against Muslims.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry said it expected a public apology from the Indian government, and Kuwait warned that if the comments go unpunished, India would see “an increase of extremism and hatred.”

The Grand Mufti of Oman described the “obscene rudeness” of Modi’s party toward Islam as a form of “war.”

And Egypt’s Al-Azhar Mosque, the Sunni world’s foremost institution of religious learning, described the remarks as “real terrorism (that) can plunge the entire world into severe crises and deadly wars.”

The controversial comments also led to widespread condemnation within India and triggered violent clashes in northern Uttar Pradesh state’s Kanpur city on Friday.

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The remarks made by BJP national spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, during a TV program in India and its Delhi media head, Naveen Kumar Jindal in a tweet risk damaging India’s ties with Muslim nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party took no action against them until Sunday when a sudden chorus of diplomatic outrage began with many Muslim countries summoning their Indian ambassadors to protest.

It then suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal and issued a rare statement saying it “strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities”

The BJP’s desperate attempt to quell the anger by dismissing the pair as “fringe elements” who did not represent the government’s views has had few takers in the Muslim world.

Disciplinary action against members of the BJP has failed to quell growing anger in India and the Muslim world over comments insulting the Holy Prophet.

New Delhi is now struggling to contain diplomatic fallout over the controversial comments. 

The BJP has contended that it cannot jeopardize India’s extensive trade links with the Arab world, its need for Persian Gulf oil, and prevent a backlash against 6.5 million Indians living and working in the Mideast region.

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Indian opposition leaders have meanwhile demanded the arrest of real culprits.

The Congress party leader, Rahul Gandhi, in a Twitter post, accused the BJP of dividing India internally and weakening it externally. 

“The BJP’s shameful bigotry has not only isolated us but also damaged India’s standing globally,” he said.

The remarks follow increasing violence targeting India’s Muslim minority carried out by Hindu nationalists who have been emboldened by Modi’s silence on such attacks since he came to power in 2014.

Over the years, Indian Muslims have often been targeted for everything from their food and clothing style to inter-religious marriages.

More recently, religious tensions have escalated after some Hindu groups went to a local court in northern Varanasi city to seek permission to pray at a 17th-century mosque, claiming that it was built by demolishing a temple. 

Critics say these tensions have been further exacerbated by right-leaning Indian television anchors during raucous TV debates.

International rights groups have warned that attacks could escalate. 

They have accused Modi’s governing party of looking the other way and sometimes enabling hate speech against Muslims, who comprise 14% of India’s 1.4 billion people but are still numerous enough to be the second-largest Muslim population of any nation.

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