Gulf international locations which include Saudi Arabia have condemned comments on Prophet Muhammed made through BJP leaders who’ve for the reason that been suspended. The controversy erupted amid Vice President Venkaiah Naidu’s excursion of Qatar.
Here are the pinnacle 10 updates in this large story:
- Saudi Arabia defined BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks as “insulting” and known as for “recognize for ideals and religions”, in line with a overseas ministry announcement.
- Riyadh is the present day to sentence the comments. Qatar, Kuwait and Iran summoned the Indian envoy on Sunday amid giant calls on social media for a boycott of Indian items withinside the Gulf.
- The Indian envoy in Doha turned into summoned to the overseas ministry and passed an professional protest letter which stated “Qatar is awaiting a public apology and instant condemnation of those comments from the authorities of India”. Qatar’s condemnation got here amid Vice President Venkaiah Naidu’s high-profile excursion of the rich Gulf kingdom at the side of Indian enterprise leaders to reinforce trade.
- Neighbouring Kuwait, like Qatar, summoned India’s ambassador and demanded a “public apology for those antagonistic statements, the continuation of which could represent a deterrent degree or punishment to boom extremism and hatred and undermine the factors of moderation”.
- A information channel in Iran suggested what Tehran known as an “insult in opposition to the Prophet of Islam in an Indian TV show”. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), primarily based totally withinside the Saudi town of Jeddah, additionally condemned the comments.
- India has stated that the comments have been “perspectives of fringe factors” and did now no longer mirror the authorities’s opinion. The authorities additionally highlighted that the ruling BJP had taken movement in opposition to the leaders — one in every of whom turned into the birthday birthday celebration’s countrywide spokesperson and the alternative its media leader. The choice turned into welcomed through Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
- The remarks have been made through Nupur Sharma at some stage in a TV debate final week withinside the backdrop of a sequence of communal incidents throughout the country. BJP media leader Naveen Jindal published a tweet approximately the Prophet, which he later deleted.
- The hassle spiked in BJP-dominated Uttar Pradesh. Forty human beings have been injured in Kanpur whilst corporations clashed after Friday prayers.
- In a announcement on Sunday, the BJP stated it is “strongly in opposition to any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion” and “does now no longer sell such human beings or philosophy”.
- The Congress trashed the BJP announcement, pronouncing it is “not anything however a blatantly counterfeit pretense, that’s certainly farce and every other sham strive at harm control”. Taking to Twitter, Congress chief Shashi Tharoor tagged a publish which stated that supermarkets in Gulf international locations, which include Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain eliminated Indian merchandise after insulting comments have been made through ruling birthday birthday celebration leaders.
