Insulting remarks towards the Prophet by India’s ruling get together officers set off a diplomatic backlash within the Muslim world.
Insulting remarks towards Prophet Muhammad by leaders of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) have triggered huge criticism from Arab international locations, with specialists saying the diplomatic backlash could be “probably damaging” to the relations between India and oil-rich international locations within the Center East.
Final week, Qatar led a refrain of regional diplomatic condemnation because it summoned India’s ambassador and sought “a public apology” from New Delhi over the insulting feedback. The uncommon transfer got here as India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, a member of the BJP, was on a state go to to Doha.
In a strongly worded tweet, Qatar’s Assistant Overseas Minister Lolwah al-Khater additionally highlighted “harmful ranges” of “Islamophobic discourse” in India.
I feel you can't be outraged by statements of India's governing get together leaders on the one hand and change into an enabler of the present Indian authorities by giving it recognition by honours and investments in India.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia additionally joined different members of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), together with greater than a dozen different Muslim-majority international locations, in condemning the derogatory remarks towards Islam’s prophet – a perceived pink line within the Arab and bigger Muslim world – and his spouse, Aisha.
“I can't bear in mind final time such a powerful and offended response from the GCC international locations to home politics in India,” mentioned Michael Kugelman, deputy director and senior affiliate for South Asia at Wilson Heart, including that it might be “probably damaging”.
“Even on the problem of Kashmir, the GCC international locations had actually subdued response,” Kugelman informed Al Jazeera.
Harm management
The Indian authorities went into harm management, suspending its spokesperson who made the disparaging feedback and expelling one other chief for his tweets in defence of the BJP spokesperson.
The overseas ministry additionally deputed its diplomatic corps in Muslim-majority international locations to clarify the federal government place that India revered all religions and the derogatory remarks didn't come from the federal government however had been made by “fringe components”.
Critics, nonetheless, mentioned the BJP couldn't be trusted on its phrase as anti-Muslim rhetoric is central to the politics of the Hindu nationalist get together, which has been working the nation of 1.3 billion individuals since 2014.
BJP believes that identical to the Gulf international locations ignore the Chinese language actions towards Muslims in Xinjiang, they may also give India a free go.
Manoj Joshi, a senior analyst at Observer Analysis Basis in New Delhi, informed Al Jazeera the BJP would double down on its anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“It [BJP] believes that identical to the Gulf international locations ignore the Chinese language actions towards [Uighur] Muslims in Xinjiang, they may also give India a free go.”
On Sunday, the BJP authorities in northern Uttar Pradesh state demolished homes of Muslim activists who protested towards anti-Islam feedback, inflicting social media anger.
What explains the diplomatic outrage?
However what explains the uncommon diplomatic outrage from Gulf international locations?
Mahjoob Zweiri, director of the Gulf Research programme at Qatar College, says underneath India’s ruling get together anti-Islam and anti-Muslim rhetoric has been rising in the previous few years, and the insulting remarks coming from the ruling get together functionaries, he says, notably angered individuals within the area.
“There are people who find themselves upset in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, so governments had the duty to say it’s not acceptable.
“You must respect our faith.”
The diplomatic backlash has put the highlight on the spike in anti-Muslim rhetoric underneath the BJP prior to now eight years, throughout which Muslims have been largely marginalised politically and have confronted rising assaults by Hindu far-right teams, with dozens lynched over rumours of beef consumption or cow slaughter.
Discriminatory insurance policies and legal guidelines such because the Citizenship Modification Act and the Nationwide Register of Residents threaten to disenfranchise Muslims who quantity almost 200 million – making India the nation with the third largest Muslim inhabitants on the earth. Within the northeast Indian state of Assam almost two million individuals, together with Muslims, had been faraway from the citizen checklist in 2019, successfully making them stateless.
In latest months, outstanding Hindu spiritual leaders, lots of them with hyperlinks to the BJP, have made requires genocide of Muslims, however hardly any motion has been taken towards them.
The demonisation of Muslims initially of the COVID-19 pandemic greater than two years in the past triggered a backlash within the Gulf international locations. Many Indian Hindus working in GCC international locations had been fired for posting Islamophobic feedback linking Muslims to spreading coronavirus. However again then, solely Kuwait expressed deep concern over the therapy of Muslims in India.
Flood of anti-Muslim rhetoric
GCC international locations have been comparatively quiet about India’s therapy of its minorities in recent times, and previous to the ascension of the Hindu proper to energy in 2014, they largely avoided commenting on what they believed was an Indian inner matter.
However the flood of anti-Muslim rhetoric in recent times appears to have caught the eye of individuals exterior India, together with rights organisations. Amnesty Worldwide and Human Rights Watch warned towards rising Islamophobia, accusing the Indian authorities of concentrating on minorities.
Final week, a US State Division report mentioned that some Indian officers had been ignoring and even supporting rising assaults on spiritual minorities, drawing sharp retort from New Delhi.
In January, Gregory Stanton, the founder and director of Genocide Watch, mentioned there have been early “indicators and processes” of genocide in Assam and Indian-administered Kashmir.
India, like China, has historically taken sturdy exception to overseas criticisms of its therapy of minorities, saying it's its inner matter. It has additionally routinely denounced the US Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom, an autonomous authorities panel, which has highlighted the rising assaults on Muslims in India.
Zweiri, from Qatar College, mentioned the diplomatic disaster will “have an effect on the connection, although it received’t occur in a single day”.
“Why is India following China in insulting Islam and Muslims somewhat than understanding and fascinating them, contemplating the financial pursuits with the Muslim world?
“And I'm not positive India has curiosity in doing so,” he mentioned.
However commerce between India and the GCC has continued to develop, reaching $155bn in 2021-22 in comparison with $87bn a 12 months earlier than. A bulk of the commerce entails oil and gasoline imports as New Delhi sources 60 p.c of its petroleum provides from GCC international locations.
India yearly receives greater than $50bn in remittances despatched by greater than 8 million Indians who work within the GCC international locations, with Indian companies collaborating within the success of the area’s economic system.
Kugelman, of the Wilson Heart, mentioned the GCC international locations could not danger rocking the boat, provided that India was an necessary buying and selling and strategic companion.
India has traditionally shut relations with the GCC however underneath Prime Minister Narendra Modi, geo-strategic cooperation has been strengthened with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Modi has put renewed concentrate on the Center East as a part of his “Look West” coverage. New Delhi now counts UAE and Israel amongst its closest strategic companions.
Final month, a free-trade settlement between India and the UAE that can waive tariffs on most of India’s exports to the Gulf state got here into power.
“I do know India’s ruling get together has totally different calculations,” Zweiri, the Qatar College professor, mentioned, referring to India banking on ties with the UAE and Israel.
“It depends on the triangle of UAE-Israel-India, within the wake of the Abraham Accords,” he mentioned. Numerous Arab international locations, together with the UAE and Bahrain, established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 as a part of the so-called Abraham Accords.
‘An enabler of the present Indian authorities’
Critics have criticised some Gulf nations forging nearer ties with India underneath Modi regardless of the rise in anti-Muslim assaults.
Mohamad Junaid, assistant professor at Massachusetts Faculty of Liberal Arts in New York, mentioned the GCC international locations wanted to grasp what has been occurring in India for the previous few years.
“The present Islamophobic feedback are a part of the bigger marketing campaign of violence towards Indian Muslims and towards Kashmiri Muslims.
“I feel you can't be outraged by statements of India’s governing get together leaders on the one hand and change into an enabler of the present Indian authorities by giving it recognition by honours and investments in India,” he mentioned, referring to the proposed investments in Kashmir within the discipline of infrastructure, well being and agriculture from UAE-based companies.
The UAE conferred its highest civilian award on Modi weeks after New Delhi stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its restricted autonomy in 2019.
Saudi Arabia adopted swimsuit in honouring Modi, whose authorities had imposed on the time a sweeping safety and communication lockdown in Kashmir.
Kashmir – residence to 12 million individuals – is now immediately run from New Delhi in disregard to the democratic aspirations of its majority Muslim inhabitants. The state legislature was suspended in 2019 following the elimination of the area’s particular standing.
Kugelman mentioned the present diplomatic dispute is unlikely to derail the ties between the GCC and India.
“The GCC international locations are actually going to launch statements of condemnation and proceed to demand apology,” he mentioned.
“However I don't assume that GCC might retaliate in ways in which might imperil their relations with India as a result of they'd need guarantee to maintain buying and selling with sixth largest economic system on the earth,” he mentioned.
However Zweiri mentioned the newest developments would have an effect on belief.
“Not each relationship is about economic system; it's a must to respect individuals, the norms, and their faith.
“India thinks nobody can criticise it due to financial pursuits. I'm not positive that is the suitable factor to do.”
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