India's Religious Tensions Spill Over As Middle Eastern Countries Condemn Comments About Islam

The new date is Jun 6, 2022.

Controversial remarks made by two spokespeople of India's ruling party about Prophet Muhammad triggered a diplomatic row between India and Muslim countries including several Arab nations and Iran.

While speaking during a news debate, a spokesman for the saffron party made comments about the Islamic prophet and his wife, causing outrage among Muslims.

The party said in a statement that it was expelling Naveen Jindal, the media head of its Delhi unit, because he insulted any religion or religious personality.

India's government was forced to respond to the controversy after clips of Sharma's controversial comments were widely shared on social media.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry issued a statement early on Monday condemning the comments made by India's ambassador to the kingdom.

Both of the suspended leaders apologized for their comments, but noted that they had made their comments in response to other people's comments.

The prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the comments made by the two men on social media and said that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is persecuting Muslims.

There are growing religious tensions in India under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country's leadership has been accused of fanning communal violence in the country by engaging in divisive political rhetoric against minority religious groups. Some Hindu groups are trying to get court permission to pray at a centuries-old mosque in the city of Varanasi, which they claim was built on top of a temple destroyed by Islamic rulers. There was a wave of religious violence in the country in the 1990s after the Babri Mosque was demolished by Hindu groups. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an intergovernmental organization made up of multiple Islamic nations, said the controversy should be viewed in the context of growing "hatred and abuse" against Muslims in India.

Crucial Quote

The OIC secretariat's comments were rejected by the Indian foreign ministry. All religions are respected by India's government. Some people made offensive comments about a religious person. The views of the Government of India are not reflected in them.

Tangent

India and the U.S. had a diplomatic spat over the treatment of Muslims in India. India is witnessing rising attacks on people and places of worship, according to the State Department's annual report on religious freedom. The Indian foreign ministry accused Washington of engaging in vote bank politics, a phrase that is often used in Indian politics. The statement said that India had brought up its own concerns about the U.S.

India's Muslims are worried about violence and threats.

There is a dangerous new pattern of communal tension in India.