A day after Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran condemned the controversial remarks made against Prophet Mohammad, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Afghanistan and Indonesia joined these nations and called for “respect for beliefs and religions.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is due to make his first visit to Delhi this week.
To assuage the sentiments of these countries, New Delhi on Sunday had said the derogatory tweets “do not reflect the feelings of the Government of India, and these are views of the fringe elements”.
However, that has now pacified the growing rage in the Arab world. Demand has flooded Twitter in the Arab world calling for a boycott of Indian products.
Moreover, this row erupted even as Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu began his visit to Doha, part of a three-nation tour on Sunday. An official dinner for Naidu to be held by the Deputy Emir of Qatar Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was cancelled on Sunday.
The dinner was cancelled as the Deputy Emir was suspected to have come in contact with an individual who had tested positive for coronavirus, sources said. Officials said the cancellation was not connected to Qatar’s protest.
The Vice President was informed in advance; and his visit was on as per schedule, they said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia in a statement expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the statements made by the BJP spokespersons against the Prophet.
The Ministry reiterated its “permanent rejection of prejudice against the symbols of the Islamic religion”. It also rejected anything that gives rise to prejudice against “all religious figures and symbols”.
While welcoming the measures taken by the BJP to suspend the spokesperson, Saudi Arabia reaffirmed the “Kingdom’s position calling for respect for beliefs and religions”.
Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed the decision of the BJP to suspend the party’s spokesperson stressing “the need to denounce any reprehensible insults against the Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH), as a provocation to Muslims’ feelings and incitement to religious hatred”.
The Ministry in a statement stressed “the importance of respecting all religious beliefs, symbols, and personalities, and the concerted efforts of the international community 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.”
The interim Afghan Government, led by the Taliban, condemned the derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad, Pajhwok News, Afghanistan’s largest independent news agency, said.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns the use of derogatory words against the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) by an official of the ruling party in India,” the agency quoted Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid as saying in a tweet.
“We urge the Indian Government not to allow such fanatics to insult the holy religion of Islam and provoke the feelings of Muslims,” he said.
This development came a day after Qatar and Kuwait summoned India’s Ambassadors and expressed their strong protest and condemnation.
Taking exception to controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad, the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned Indian envoy Deepak Mittal in Doha to register its protest. He was handed an official note expressing “disappointment” and “total rejection and condemnation” of the remarks.
Clarifying his country’s position, Mittal said the tweets do not reflect the views of the Government of India. These are views of fringe elements, he said.
The Qatar Ministry said, “HE Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the State, handed this note to the Ambassador of the Republic of India. The State of Qatar welcomed the statement issued by the ruling party in India in which it announced the suspension of the party’s official from practicing his activities in the party due to his remarks that angered all Muslims around the world.”