India’s BJP asks officials to exercise caution on religious issues after Islamic nations protest
- ‘We are not barred from speaking on sensitive religious issues, but we must never insult the basic tenets of any religion,’ a senior BJP spokesperson said
- India’s Muslims have felt more pressure about freedom of worship under PM Narendra Modi’s BJP party, which has resulted in clashes during religious processions
Leaders of India’s Hindu nationalist ruling party on Tuesday instructed officials to be “extremely cautious” when talking about religion on public platforms after derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad drew protests from Islamic nations.
India’s minority Muslims have felt more pressure on everything from freedom of worship to hijab headscarves under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. There were Hindu-Muslim clashes during religious processions recently, following deadly riots in 2019-20.
Two BJP leaders said the verbal instructions were given to over 30 senior officials and some federal ministers who are authorised to take part in debates hosted by Indian news channels often broadcast live to millions of viewers.
“We do not want party officials to speak in a way that hurts the religious sentiments of any community … They must ensure the party’s doctrine gets shared in a sophisticated manner,” said a senior BJP leader and federal minister in New Delhi.
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Muslims around world condemn ‘Islamophobic’ remarks by India’s ruling party spokeswoman
With about 110 million members, mainly Hindus, the BJP is the world’s largest political party, while Muslims comprise around 13 per cent of India’s 1.35 billion population.
Last week the BJP suspended the spokeswoman and expelled another official after Islamic nations demanded apologies from the Indian government and summoned diplomats to protest against anti-Islamic remarks made during a TV debate.
