New Delhi: India, a staunch advocate of international relations and diplomacy, vehemently reacted on Monday to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks about the “suffering” of the Muslim population in South Asia, as well as Gaza and Myanmar.
India’s stance is unequivocal: “We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared in a resolute statement.
India’s advice to countries commenting on minorities is clear: “Look at your own record before making observations about others,” it added, urging for a thoughtful and introspective approach.
The Iranian supreme leader, in his message to the community, stressed unity on the occasion of Prophet Mohammed’s birth anniversary. In this context, he remarked about the Indian Muslims, among others, and the need for the Islamic Ummah to stand in solidarity against the suffering of Muslims in various parts of the world.
“The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place,” he said in a post on his X handle.
However, several Iranian media agencies did not name India in reporting about those remarks, which were allegedly made at a gathering with Sunni clerics around the country on Monday to mark the start of “Islamic Unity Week.”
This was not the first time Iran’s supreme leader has mentioned Indian Muslims. In August 2019, he also discussed the removal of Article 370 and Jammu & Kashmir.
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–IANS
