strait-talk

India Faces Huge Backlash Over BJP Official’s Remarks

India is facing backlash after members of the ruling BJP party insulted the Prophet Muhammad on one of India's biggest television networks. Both party spokesperson Nupur Sharma and the head of the party's Delhi media unit Naveen Kumar made disparaging remarks about the Prophet. The BJP has condemned the comments, denouncing the insult of any religious personalities - and has suspended both officials. The comments have sparked criticism from Arab and Muslim-majority countries which say the remarks were offensive and Islamophobic. Qatar and Kuwait have summoned their Indian ambassadors and demanded an apology, while the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation said the remarks 'are part of a growing spate of hatred and defamation of Islam in India and systematic practices against Indian Muslims'. Some supermarkets have even started pulling Indian products from their shelves. But as the Muslim world condemns India's anti-Islam sentiment, why does it rarely get any attention in the West? Guests: Ali Khan Mahmudabad Associate Professor at Ashoka University Uday Bhaskar Director at Society for Policy Studies

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