Remarks on Prophet: Views of fringe elements, says India as Qatar, Kuwait, Iran summon envoys

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 5

Indian envoys who were summoned by the Foreign Offices of Qatar, Kuwait and Iran on Sunday for tweets denigrating Prophet Mohammed said these were the views of fringe elements and do not reflect the views of the Indian government.

In response to the demand from both Qatar and Kuwait for a public apology from the Indian Government, the Indian ambassadors Deepak Mittal and Sibi George in identical statements said “strong action” has already been taken against those who made the derogatory remarks and a statement has also been issued by “concerned quarters” emphasising respect for all religions and denouncing insults to any religious personality.

The Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the remarks from BJP officials, now suspended for six years.

The MEA remained in damage control mode with the social media handles of its missions in West Asia posting retweets of BJP’s clarification but such an effort was not there in European and other countries. This was largely because the hashtag #Accept_God_Messenger_O_Modi was top trending in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and a number of other Arab countries.

Qatar had expressed its annoyance with the remarks by a BJP spokesperson by summoning the Indian envoy Deepak Mittal on Sunday followed by Kuwait. Mittal and George also suggested that “vested interests” against India-Qatar relations have been inciting people using these derogatory comments. In this respect, they asked Qatar and Kuwait to work together “against such mischievous elements who aim to undercut the strength of our bilateral ties”.

Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi told Mittal that he welcomed the BJP’s suspension of its official from “practicing his activities in the party due to his remarks that angered all Muslims around the world”.

Noting that Qatar is expecting a public apology, Al-Muraikhi sought immediate condemnation of these remarks from the Indian Government and pointed out that such Islamophobic remarks must not continue without punishment.

Meanwhile, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the comments and accused of the Modi government of “trampling religious freedoms and persecuting Muslims”. Pakistan Foreign Ministry said the remarks by two senior officials of BJP were “totally unacceptable” and “BJP’s attempted clarification and belated and perfunctory disciplinary action against these individuals cannot assuage the pain and anguish they have caused to the Muslim world”.

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