India moves to quell anger after remarks about Prophet Muhammad
Scores arrested for rioting and a protest is planned later in Mumbai after comments by BJP officials
06 June 2022 - 10:39
byRupam Jain and Saurabh Sharma
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Mumbai — India's government sought on Monday to calm anger at home and abroad after two officials of the ruling BJP party made remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, with 38 people arrested for rioting in a northern city and a protest planned later in Mumbai.
The arrests in the city of Kanpur were part of an effort to quell sporadic religious tension that arose after two officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party made remarks that have generated widespread anger among Muslims in India and overseas. Some of India's top officials were engaged in managing the diplomatic fallout as nations including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Iran demanded an apology from the government for allowing the derogatory remarks.
At the weekend, Indian diplomats stationed in the Gulf and neighbouring Islamic nations were summoned by officials in those countries to protest against the comments by BJP officials.
India's foreign ministry said in a statement the offensive tweets and comments do not reflect the views of the government.
The BJP suspended a spokesperson and expelled another official on Sunday for hurting religious sentiments of a minority community.
Muslims make up about 13% of India's 1.35-billion people. Protests were planned against the anti-Muslim remarks in the financial capital Mumbai on Monday.
A senior official at the Qatar Embassy in New Delhi said Modi's government must publicly distance itself from the comments.
“Hurting our religious sentiments can directly impact economic ties,” the official said, adding they are checking reports about a boycott of Indian goods by some supermarket owners in Qatar.
India's trade with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which includes Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, was about $90bn in 2020-21. Millions of Indians live and work in GCC countries.
Prime Minister Modi in recent years has strengthened economic ties with the energy-rich nations, the top source for country's fuel imports.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
India moves to quell anger after remarks about Prophet Muhammad
Scores arrested for rioting and a protest is planned later in Mumbai after comments by BJP officials
Mumbai — India's government sought on Monday to calm anger at home and abroad after two officials of the ruling BJP party made remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, with 38 people arrested for rioting in a northern city and a protest planned later in Mumbai.
The arrests in the city of Kanpur were part of an effort to quell sporadic religious tension that arose after two officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party made remarks that have generated widespread anger among Muslims in India and overseas. Some of India's top officials were engaged in managing the diplomatic fallout as nations including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Iran demanded an apology from the government for allowing the derogatory remarks.
At the weekend, Indian diplomats stationed in the Gulf and neighbouring Islamic nations were summoned by officials in those countries to protest against the comments by BJP officials.
India's foreign ministry said in a statement the offensive tweets and comments do not reflect the views of the government.
The BJP suspended a spokesperson and expelled another official on Sunday for hurting religious sentiments of a minority community.
Muslims make up about 13% of India's 1.35-billion people. Protests were planned against the anti-Muslim remarks in the financial capital Mumbai on Monday.
A senior official at the Qatar Embassy in New Delhi said Modi's government must publicly distance itself from the comments.
“Hurting our religious sentiments can directly impact economic ties,” the official said, adding they are checking reports about a boycott of Indian goods by some supermarket owners in Qatar.
India's trade with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which includes Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, was about $90bn in 2020-21. Millions of Indians live and work in GCC countries.
Prime Minister Modi in recent years has strengthened economic ties with the energy-rich nations, the top source for country's fuel imports.
Reuters
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