Anger over BJP leader’s comment on the Prophet spills over to supermarkets in Kuwait

A BJP spokeswoman’s comment on Prophet Mohammed has not gone down well with countries in the Middle East with Iran summoning the Indian ambassador while a Kuwaiti supermarket removing Indian products from its shelves.

BJP’s Nupur Sharma has been suspended by the party, which has clarified that it respects all religions and Sharma’s comments do not reflect the BJP’s official stand.

Meanwhile, anger continued to boil over in supermarkets selling Indian products in Kuwait. The store managers had to remove Indian products from the shelves to quell people’s displeasure.

Other Middle-Eastern counties like Qatar, Al-Azhar University in Cairo and also the administration at Saudi Arabia have condemned Sharma’s comments, terming them as “Islamophobic”.

Saudi Arabia stated that the BJP spokesperson’s comments were “insulting” and sought for “respect for beliefs and religions”.

Qatar summoned the Indian ambassador in Doha to express its protest. Qatar’s strong reaction came at a time when Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu is leading a group of Indian businessmen to the Gulf nation to extend business relations.

An Iranian news channel said Tehran sees it as an “insult against the Prophet of Islam in an Indian TV show”. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the comments.

Just outside a supermarket in Kuwait City, India-made spices and chilies were seen covered with plastic sheets. A writing in Arabic stamped on the plastic read: “We have removed Indian products”. Nasser Al-Mutairi, CEO of the store, told news agency AFP that Kuwaiti Muslims won’t accept insults hurled at the Prophet.

India has responded to the upheaval by terming the comment as “views of fringe elements” and that it did not reflect the government’s opinion.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain welcomed the BJP’s action against Sharma, its national spokeswoman and media chief Navin Jindal, who posted Sharma’s comment on social media. Jindal and since deleted the post.

Also read: Prophet row: Remarks by Islamic nations group ‘narrow,’ ‘unwarranted,’ says Centre

The comment had a spontaneous reaction in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh where 40 people were injured as two groups clashed after Friday prayers.

Sharma said on Twitter that she made the comments in response to “insults” made against the Shiva, a Hindu god. Later she issued another tweet saying that she is unconditionally withdrawing her statement if her words “have caused discomfort or hurt religious feelings of anyone whatsoever”.