Iran Press/ Asia: The controversy erupted after BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad last week. Sharma was suspended on Sunday, and the BJP expelled Jindal on Thursday.
Many West Asian countries expressed broad discontent over Sharma’s remarks and summoned Indian envoys. Several hashtags calling for the boycott of Indian products were trending on Twitter in Muslim countries on Sunday.
In a diplomatic protest, many Muslim countries told the Indian government that if such Islamophobic remarks go unpunished, it may “lead to further prejudice and marginalization, which will create a cycle of violence and hate.”
In Tehran, the director-general of South Asia summoned the Indian Ambassador Dhamu Gaddam to lodge Iran’s protest on the matter.
India said that solid action had already been taken against those who had made derogatory remarks.
India has the largest expatriate population in several of the Muslim nations, with official data showing that nearly 6.5 million Indians live in the region, according to The Indian Express. Apart from being dependent on crude oil and gas, India also enjoys trading relations with many of these countries in the region.
Also, Muslims residing in India are equally outraged by the downright offensive comments by the two BJP officials.
Pakistan also announced that it is deeply concerned about the alarming rise in communal violence and hatred directed against the Muslims in India.
Muslims in India are being systematically stigmatized, marginalized, and subjected to a well-orchestrated onslaught from radical Hindu mobs with full connivance and support of the security apparatus across various states in India.
Pakistan once again calls on the international community to take immediate cognizance of the grievously aggravating situation of Islamophobia in India.
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