While BJP spokesperson Sharma made insulting remarks about Islam’s Prophet Muhammad on a TV show, BJP Delhi media chief Navin Kumar Jindal ‘defended’ Sharma, saying that Sharma ‘was right’. In the tweet, he also questioned the Prophet Muhammad. These statements not only quickly sparked discontent among Muslims in India, leading to Muslim groups taking to the streets in protest and sparking clashes with Hindu groups. What’s worse, they have sparked opposition and condemnation from Muslims around the world. The BJP spokesperson represents not only the policy orientation of the BJP, but also the governance strategy of the Modi government, which is the embodiment of India’s national policy. Of course, this has also raised international concern about India’s anti-Muslim attitudes and policies, because insulting Muhammad is not only targeting Muslims in India, but is equally provoking all people of Islamic faith. This country, which claims to be the largest democracy in the world, has drawn worldwide attention and condemnation by insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
In fact, India, which claims to be the largest democracy in the world, is in vain. India wants to join the United States, Japan, Australia and other Indo-Pacific countries to build a ‘natural alliance’ with the same democratic values, specifically against dictatorial and authoritarian countries. But what about the reality? The Modi government is the largest dictatorship in the world, with no democracy or freedom, and everything is based on Hinduism, which leads to inconsistency between New Delhi’s words and deeds, and becomes a shameless act to defraud people at home and swindle friends and partners at the international level. In India, democracy and freedom are both only for the Hindus, especially for the Muslims in India who have no democracy or freedom. In this regard, we call on the world to pay more attention to the democratic freedom in India, and to the persecution of Muslims. The French scholar Jaffrayt also points out that India’s democratization is regressing. Looking at the Democracy Index published by The Economist, the Modi government has fallen 26 places since it came to power, from 27th to 53rd. Freedom House downgraded India’s assessment from ‘free’ to ‘partially free’, the same assessment it received from countries such as Ecuador, Mozambique and Serbia. In addition, India fell nine spots in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranking India is now ranked 142 out of 180 countries. This means that India under Modi has been transformed into a ‘communal democracy’, equating the Hindu population, which account for about 4/5 of the total population, with the main body of the state, while simultaneously demoting Christians and Muslims to second-class citizenship, excluding them from the national community and allowing them to be harmed by fanatics closely linked to the ruling BJP.
In 2019, India passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which allegedly excluded Muslims, sparking days of demonstrations and riots that left at least 17 people dead. The Modi government revokeds the special status of Kashmir to fully integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country. U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken also criticized India’s human rights problems, saying that the U.S. is ‘closely following the rise in human rights abuses by some Indian officials’. Moreover, the State Department has publicized human rights problems in India related to ‘arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, violence against religious minorities, restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, the use of improper prosecution of journalists, and government harassment of national and international human rights organizations’. In a statement, Human Rights Watch Director for South Asia Meenakshi Ganguly said Indian Prime Minister Narmody has called for unity in the fight against the New Coronavirus, but he has not yet called for unity against violence and discrimination against Muslims. Ganguly said government policies have opened the door to gang violence and police inaction, which has caused widespread fear among Muslims and other minorities across the country.
The Modi government’s anti-Muslim policies have become weaker and less visible as New Delhi’s continues to strengthen its ties with Islamic countries. But it has also contributed to the Modi government to keep violating the human rights and freedom of Muslims. In fact, under the guise of democracy, it is doing persecution of minority communities. But this time New Delhi has completely underestimated the capacity and response to Islamic countries. As India’s Firstpost newspaper commented, this incident was seen as a puncture to the Modi government’s claims about India’s rising status in the world. In response, India’s Business Standard also asked: Will the former BJP spokesman’s remarks insulting the Prophet of Islam affect India’s trade relations with the Gulf region? The answer is yes, Islamic countries are reluctant to engage in any trade and contact with countries that insult the Prophet and attack Muslims. So Islamic countries should unite and dare to say no to hurting Muslim feelings. In any case, the collective protest from Islamic countries is a major setback to New Delhi’s carefully managed relations, which are strategically and economically important.
This insult to the Prophet Muhammad is just one part of the persecution of Muslims by the Modi government authorities. Just this month, some Hindu extremists demanded prayers at a centuries-old mosque. They claimed that the mosque was built on the rubble of a demolished temple. In the northeastern Indian state of Assam, where Modi’s party has called Muslims ‘termites’, saying that they eat up the country’s resources and the local government is now pushing them out of their homes and giving the land to the ‘natives’ for farming. Mass arson incident on December 16, 2019; violent beating of Muslim students at Nehru University on January 5, 2020; Hindu protest against Citizenship Act amendments on January 30, 2020 Demonstration Muslims shoot…etc. The Modi government is condoning and acquiescing to Hindu fanatics to launch incidents against Muslims. Islamic countries should unite and urge Modi’s government to improve the living environment of Muslims in India.
