Around 20 countries have brought home their ambassadors from India. Now they demand a public apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both in India and other countries with large Muslim populations, there have been violent demonstrations. The protesters have set fire to buildings, dolls and flags. On Friday, two people were shot and killed by police during one of the demonstrations, in the town of Ranchi, in eastern India, according to NTB. More than 130 people are also said to have been arrested. The unrest flared up due to comments from a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or “BJP”. TV STAR: Until she was expelled from the party, Nupur Sharma (37) was often seen on Indian TV screens, where she defended Prime Minister Modi and BJP’s policy Photo: – / AFP Commented on mosque quarrel Nupur Sharma (37) made the offensive statements during a television debate. It was about a mosque in the holy city of Varanasi at the end of May. Hindus in the area sued to be allowed to pray in the Gyanvapi mosque. They claim that in 1669, the Mogul emperor Aurangzeb built the mosque over the ruins of a 16th-century Hindu temple. HOLY CITY: The Gyanvapi Mosque (left) is located in the Hindu holiest city of Varanasi, next to the Hindu Kashi Vishwanath temple and along the Ganges River. Photo: Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP Sharma’s comments have now been removed from the web. It is unclear what the spokesperson specifically said, but she is said to have mentioned the Prophet Muhammad and his minor wife Aisha. Get support online Sharma has withdrawn the statements without conditions. She defended herself by saying that they came in response to “continuous attacks on the Hindu god Shiva”. Another BJP spokesman, Naveen Jindal, was fired for sharing a screenshot of the comment on Twitter. TRIBUTE: A twitter message with over 5,000 retweets and 15,000 likes clicks praises Nupur Sharma for having “shaken the Muslim world”. Sharma now says she is “bombarded with threats of rape and murder”. At the same time, many have spoken out in Sharma’s defense on social media. The former spokesperson achieved star status with his regular TV appearances. Many now share a clip of her calling a counter-debater “a damn hypocrite and a liar” and asking him to “keep his mouth shut”. Sharma’s supporters describe her as “a lioness and a fearless warrior”. SURROUNDED: The map shows the slightly below Muslim countries that have condemned statements by Indian Government Party spokesman Nupur Sharma. Source: The Wire India. Muslim countries in armor A number of Muslim countries have condemned the statements and demand action from the Government of India. Among them are several of India’s most important partners, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates. Around 20 countries have lodged formal complaints with local Indian embassies. They have also brought home their ambassadors from India. Many Muslims are calling for a boycott of Indian goods on social media. Several Indian media outlets have also published a letter – allegedly from Al Qaeda – threatening to carry out terrorist attacks in retaliation. In addition to dismissing Sharma and Jindal, Indian authorities have responded that the statements do not reflect the government’s views. They have also tightened security in several major cities. HINDUS FIRST: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a bath in the holy river Ganges during the election campaign in the state of Uttar Pradesh in February 2019. Modi’s party is known for prioritizing the Hindu majority in the country. Photo: Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP Difficult election for Prime Minister Modi The governing party BJP, first came to power in the late 1990s. They did this, among other things, by playing on Hindu nationalist rhetoric. Since the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected in 2014, he has been heavily criticized for not distancing himself enough from Islamophobic parts of the party. At the same time, India is economically and geopolitically dependent on having a good relationship with the Muslim countries. COOPERATION: India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu attends a business meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Trade Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Qassim al-Abdullah al-Thani in Doha on June 5. Photo: MUSTAFA ABUMUNES / AFP In the period 2020–2021, India traded with the Gulf states for 90 billion dollars. Millions of Indians live and work in Arab countries to send money home. India needs Arab oil to meet its energy needs. Modi is thus faced with a choice between distancing himself from a large part of his own party, or damaging the relationship with some of India’s most important partners.
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