By TCN News
Kuwaiti Cabinet of Ministers on Sunday issued a press statement condemning attacks on Muslim minority in India.
The letter from Kuwaiti Cabinet of Ministers has addressed Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah, Foreign Minister, urging him to be informed of the recent spread of Islamophobia in the country and take subsequent measures to address the same.
The statement from Kuwait’s Cabinet of Ministers has expressed its “grave concern over ethnic attacks against Muslims” in India.
They further called on the world community to condemn such hate speech and communal attacks on the minorities in India including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “to take the necessary and urgent measures to halt these attacks in a way preserving rights of Muslims there and stemming the shedding of their blood.”
The rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric on Arab social media was originally triggered by a Dubai-based Indian, Saurabh Upadhyay, who had asked Muslims to stop finding ways to defend Tablighi Jamaat, compelling them to “accept that they were the source of the pandemic.”
In his social media post he had even called for “the death of Tablighi members, describing them as terrorists.” It took no time for Indian expats in the Gulf endorsing him but all of them have now deleted their tweets after being chided by Arab social media users and activists.
However, some of these caught the attention of authorities of the Middle Eastern nations who have sacked Indian employees for their professed anti-sentiments against Muslims in very strong languages over social media. Now more and more Arab leaders are supporting this welcome response to combat hate speech online and offline.
A week back the royal Princess Hend Al Qassimi, a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, had posted a part of the country’s law on hate speech on Twitter amid controversy over Islamophobic posts by Indian users on their social media platforms, simultaneously calling out the hate sentiments in an interview with NDTV.
Meanwhile acknowledging contribution of Indians to UAE’s development and economy, Qassimi had stated that all employees are paid and “no one comes for free” so it would be strictly dealt with if anyone, irrespective of their faith tries to challenge the law and futher declaring that people who are “openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave.”
Soon it was followed by a train of prominent Arab figures including intellectuals, lawyers, leaders and royalty not only criticizing Islamophobic tweets but also questioning the treatment of Muslims in India.
A week back Saudi scholar Abidi Zahrani had also proposed to “list all militant Hindus working in the Gulf who were engaged in spreading hate against Islam” and send them back.
The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) established by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has also called on the Indian government to take immediate steps “to stop the growing tide of Islamophobia in India and protect the rights of its persecuted Muslim minority as per its obligations under international human rights law.”
Speaking on the same, the Indian Ambassador to UAE quote-tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying: “Discrimination is against our moral fabric and the Rule of law. Indian nationals in the UAE should always remember this.”