BJP Officials’ Insult to Prophet Muhammad Sparks Outrage
The remarks of Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal have drawn backlash inside and outside India.
Netizens in a number of Islamic countries in the Persian Gulf have called for boycotting Indian products following the incident.
Facing the backlash, the BJP took action on Sunday and suspended the two officials from the primary membership of the party till further notice.
In a statement, the BJP claimed that it “strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion,” without directly pointing to the recent incident.
Meanwhile, Qatar was one of the first countries to officially react to the recent development. The Qatari Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned the Indian envoy to condemn the move. The Ministry “handed him an official note, expressing the disappointment of the State of Qatar and its total rejection and condemnation to the controversial remarks.”
“The State of Qatar is expecting a public apology and immediate condemnation of these remarks from the Government of India, pointing out that allowing such Islamophobic remarks to continue without punishment, constitutes a grave danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further prejudice and marginalisation, which will create a cycle of violence and hate,” read the statement of Doha, according to Deccan Herald.
Grand Mufti of Oman Sheikh Al-Khalili also strongly condemned the new BJP’s insult to Muslims. He named such insults a “war against every Muslim” in the world. He also urged Muslims to unite to confront such moves.
