The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced criticism of Muslims at home and abroad, including in many Gulf states, after two officials of the Baratiya Janata Party (BJP) commented in late May and earlier this month on the prophet’s private life. One of them, a spokesman for Nupur Sharma, has been suspended and another official fired by the party.That, did not dampen the anger in the recent state of what some in the minority Muslim community see as additional pressure under the BJP rule of Hindu nationalism in matters ranging from freedom of worship to wearing head scarves.
Protests in Different cities of India
In the Uttar Pradesh in Prayagraj, police holding shields and fired tears from the fries on Friday on a rocky road, stone, video recordings. Their role was allegedly played in protests today, said Prashant Kumar, Uttar Pradesh police chief.
In Jharkhand’s capital, Ranchi, protesters pelted police with stones and wounded others, police chief Anis Gupta told by telephone, adding that the situation was under control. Protests in some cities and towns remained peaceful.
In Ahmedabad, a large town in Modi’s hometown of Gujarat, protesters, including children, marched with placards of two BJP officials demanding that police arrest Sharma. “So far, no serious action has been taken against Nupur Sharma,” said protester Mohammad Jabir. “He should be arrested immediately.” Sharma could not be reached for comment. He said last week he did not intend to harm anyone’s religious feelings.
A large protest rally took place outside the prestigious Jama Masjid building in New Delhi, the country’s capital, just after the weekly prayer rally against BJP officials Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal.Protesters called for the arrest of Sharma, a BJP spokeswoman, who was formally charged by Delhi police on Thursday.The Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam, or prayer leader, later told local media that the mosque authorities had not issued a request for a protest.A large number of police officers stood outside the mosque to prevent any serious incidents.
The protesters dispersed peacefully after registering their strong opposition.Delhi police later said in a statement: “People have protested in Jama Masjid against statements by suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma and fired BJP leader Naveen Kumar Jindal. The situation is now under control.”Protests have also been organized in other parts of the country, including the cities of Hyderabad, Kolkata, Saharanpur and Moradabad.There have been reports of clashes between police and protesters in Ranchi, Jharkand. The situation is said to be tense but manageable.
Following last week’s civil war in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, police have stepped up security to prevent a repeat of the incident.On Sunday, the BJP suspended Sharma’s membership and expelled Jindal from the party, citing his comments about Islam on social media.Sharma made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad in a television interview, which sparked a wave of condemnation in India and the Muslim world.More than a dozen countries – as well as international organizations – have not criticized these controversies.
Protest in Kashmir
Protests were seen in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and in Kashmir, in response to the swearing.Small groups of people staged a protest in NawaKadal and Lal Chowk in the capital.InNawaKadal, protesters chanting Allah Akbar (Allah the Almighty), tried to march on the street but were stopped by police, according to witnesses.The protest was held near the Clock Tower building in Lal Chowk against Sharma’s remarks, sparking outrage in the Muslim world, prompting the BJP to suspend and expel another member of the party who supported him.
Protests have been rare in Kashmir since August 5, 2019, when the Indian Hindu government overthrew the independence of the predominantly Muslim region.Authorities have set a curfew in two predominantly Muslim provinces in Jammu province, Doda and Kishtwar, after a statement was made at a Muslim site opposing Sharma’s remarks that sparked civil unrest.Fearing civil unrest, the Indian army carried out a flag march in the city where the curfew had been imposed. Flag-raising is a practice in which soldiers march on restricted roads to send a message that no disruption can be tolerated.
Anger in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, thousands of people protested outside Dhaka’s main mosque, BaitulMukarram, after Friday prayers, chanting slogans such as “Boycott Indian Products” and “Hang those who insulted our prophet”.It was also reported that small delegates from other parts of the capital protested against the words of a large Hindu group against the prophet.The protests were jointly organized by Islamic Andolon Bangladesh, JamiatUlema-e-Islam Bangladesh and Islamic OikyaJote.
While India struggles to contain the storm in many Arab and other Muslim countries because of its anti-Islamic rhetoric, the government of Bangladesh – home to the fourth largest Muslim population in the world – has not criticized Modi’s government.The silence of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been criticized by opposition parties and the people.
Asif Nazrul, a law professor at Dhaka University, told that the Bangladeshi government did not speak out because it did not want to “oppose India in any way, even if it involved respect for a Muslim prophet”.”Sheikh Hasina’s government remains in power without the consent of the people and most of the people of Bangladesh believe that India has a role behind it. So, naturally, Hasina’s administration would not have done anything to upset the Modi government,” he said.
Protesters in Pakistan
Thousands of people re-assembled in Pakistan on Thursday and briefly clashed with police in the Pakistani capital, urging Muslim countries to sever ties with New Delhi over comments by two BJP officials who had insulted the Prophet Muhammad.Clashes between Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistani protesters and police erupted as protesters tried to march towards the Indian embassy in Islamabad but were stopped by police.
In the Pakistani city of Karachi, crowds of people flooded the streets, demanding that the government shut down India’s high commission and boycott Indian products.”The government must close India’s top commission in Pakistan and disrupt India’s economy,” protester ShabanaUmmulHasnain said.
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