At least 16 nations condemn BJP leader’s remark against prophet

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• Jun 8, 2022 | Guriya Khatun

Qatar, Iran, and Kuwait summoned India's ambassadors on Sunday, expressing their strong outrage and strong protest of a BJP leader's provocative remarks against Prophet Mohammed.

However, on
Sunday, the party suspended Nupur Sharma and further expelled Naveen Kumar
Jindal, the BJP’s Delhi media head, over their controversial remarks against
the Prophet.

In response
to Muslim groups' protest, the party published a statement intended to assuage
minorities' fears and distance itself from these individuals, stating that it
respects all religions and vehemently condemns the insulting of any religious
personality.

Notably,
Bahrain's foreign affairs ministry welcomed the BJP's decision to suspend its
spokeswoman, emphasizing the importance of "denouncing any reprehensible
insults against the Prophet Muhammad, PBUH, as a provocation to Muslim
sensibilities and encouragement to religious intolerance."

As per a
statement issued by the ministry, "the importance of respecting all
religious beliefs, symbols, and personalities, as well as the international
community's concerted efforts to spread the values of moderation, tolerance,
and dialogue between religions and civilizations, and to confront extremist
ideas that feed sedition and religious, sectarian, or racial hatred."
Meanwhile, according to Pajhwok News, Afghanistan's largest independent news
agency, the interim Afghan government, run by the Taliban, strongly condemned
the disrespectful insults directed at Prophet Mohammad.

In a tweet,
government Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, "
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns the use of derogatory
words against the Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him) by an official of the
ruling party in India."

He added,
"We urge the Indian government not to allow such radicals to denigrate
Islam's holy religion and provoke Muslims' feelings."

Qatar, Iran,
and Kuwait summoned India's ambassadors on Sunday, expressing their strong
outrage and strong protest of a BJP leader's provocative remarks against
Prophet Mohammed.

Pakistan
summoned India's chargé d'affaires on Monday to express its emphatic rejection
and disapproval of the controversial remarks.

Shehbaz
Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, condemned the "hurtful" remarks
made against Islam's prophet on Sunday.

In a bid to
defuse a diplomatic spat, spokespersons for the Indian embassies in Qatar and
Kuwait announced that the ambassadors would meet to discuss the situation.
"This conveyed that the tweets do not reflect the views of the Indian
government in any way." These are the viewpoints of the outliers. "
In the Arab world, the inflammatory remarks spurred a Twitter trend calling for
a boycott of Indian products.