The United States (US) condemned BJP members‘ derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), which sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world, and demanded an apology from the Indian government.
The US government’s condemnation came just days after India’s ruling party’s spokesperson Nupur Sharma and media head Naveen Kumar Jindal made derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Following the incident, Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Oman, Indonesia, Iraq, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Jordan, Libya, and Bahrain not only condemned but also boycotted Indian products.
The Indian police also killed two Muslims who were protesting the BJP spokesperson’s blasphemous remarks and illegally demolished the home of a female Muslim activist.
In a press conference late Thursday night, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price condemned the incident and urged respect for human rights.
“This is something we have condemned.” We condemn the offensive remarks made by two BJP officials, and we were pleased to see the party publicly condemn those remarks,” he added.
Ned Price went on to say that the US government frequently raises issues concerning human rights and religious freedom.
“We regularly engage at senior levels with the Indian government on human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief, and we encourage India to promote respect for human rights,” he said.
Ned Price went on to say that the secretary stated that we share the same values: human dignity, human respect, equality of opportunity, and religious or belief freedom. “These are fundamental tenets, fundamental values in any democracy, and we advocate for them all over the world,” he said.
