This week, the government dealt with a sudden diplomatic storm- one which it clearly didn’t expect, as a flurry of countries across the gulf and other parts of the world picked up on statements made about Prophet Mohammad by spokespersons of the ruling party here more than a week ago. While there have been protests in India for some days, the government had not reacted to them- and the MEA seemed unprepared for what followed.
- Social media in Arab countries began running reactions to the comments, calling for a protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a boycott of Indian goods unless there was an apology or action. While this was not too worrying, the first sign this was turning into a theological issue was when the Grand Mufti of Oman tweeted about it on June 4. The Al-Azhar University in Cairo condemned the comments next.
- As Vice President Venkaiah Naidu flew to Doha, Qatari officials conveyed that his counterpart the Deputy Emir Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani had to cancel the banquet in his honour, due to possible exposure to Covid. However, unlike the diplomatic norms, he did not suggest deputing someone else to host the banquet, which began to worry the MEA. The BJP announced it was suspending the spokespersons, subsequently expelled one of them, and issued a statement that the party respects all religions.
