Gulf states condemn Indian official’s ‘Islamophobic’ remarks about the Prophet Mohammed
- Saudi Arabia became the latest Gulf country to condemn the remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party spokeswoman Nupur Sharma last week
- The comments were blamed for clashes in an Indian state and prompted demands for Sharma’s arrest, with anger spreading overseas to Muslim countries
Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned remarks about the Prophet Mohammed made by a top official in India’s ruling party that were described as Islamophobic.
The remarks by a spokeswoman for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party last week were blamed for clashes in an Indian state and prompted demands for her arrest, with anger spreading overseas to Muslim countries.
Saudi Arabia became the latest Gulf country to condemn the remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party spokeswoman Nupur Sharma during a televised debate last week.
Riyadh described Sharma’s comments as “insulting” and called for “respect for beliefs and religions”, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Qatar had also demanded that India apologise for the “Islamophobic” comments, as India’s Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu visited the wealthy Gulf state in a bid to bolster trade.
India’s ambassador in Doha, Deepak Mittal, was ordered to the foreign ministry on the second day of the high profile visit by Naidu and Indian business leaders.