The sensitivity gap that India must bridge

India’s strong and broad target in the Islamic world over the past few days arose out of a specific religious thought. It was not directly related to the politics or policies of India’s ruling system, although its opponents within India would like to give it that colour. The veracity of this assessment is proved by the general indifference of the Islamic Ummah towards the Muslim population of India. From time to time, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has criticized the Indian state’s alleged discrimination against Muslim minorities. However, the organization’s ideas have never formed the basis of its member-states’ bilateral relations with India. And, Islamic State has not been impressed by Pakistan’s persistent portrayal of the Narendra Modi government as fascist and anti-Muslim.

In fact, India’s ties with some important Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have strengthened since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in May 2014. It is possible that current outrage, even resentment, is due to the present. The controversy could lead to a comprehensive inquiry into the Modi government’s policies towards the country’s Muslims. India’s social status may be given more attention but the governments of Islamic countries would not want their India’s policies to be determined by religious considerations; There are many interests at stake in their India relations.

there is a difference

It was not surprising that Islamic governments opposed the remarks about the prophet by Nupur Sharma, former national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Naveen Kumar Jindal, the party’s former media chief. What was though was that neither the government nor the ruling party realized what a great crime he had committed to all Muslims around the world and his comments would cause anger. The least clever External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who has been a distinguished diplomat in his earlier incarnation, should have known that despite huge differences within himself, Muslims worship the Prophet; They all find any notion of disrespect towards him intolerable. Thus, there is a difference between criticizing certain social practices of Muslims and what is perceived as an attack on the personality of the Prophet.

Ms Sharma’s remarks were made on May 26 during a talk show on a leading TV channel. The next day a clip of these comments was combined into a tweet. This attracted widespread attention in India and Ms Sharma complained of threats to her person and to her family members. A Muslim organization has filed a legal complaint against Ms. Sharma. It was inevitable that in this time of instant communication and social media, Ms. Sharma’s comments would find an audience in Islamic countries; And, that anti-India elements also want to publicize them. Nevertheless, it appears that the Indian establishment may have thought that if the matter was addressed, Ms Sharma’s remarks would be placed in the context of the scathing accusations and counter-arguments that are made on Indian TV every day, and so Will not done. taken seriously.

eliminate misunderstandings

Is it because the Indian system, including the ruling system, has an inadequate understanding of the sensibility of different religions? Is it because the Indian intellectual tradition that developed after independence does not pay enough attention to faith, perhaps considering it backward? And, while there is a claim of religiosity, there is a lack of curiosity about other religions as well. It seems to be cutting across all sections of the society and has led to a lack of knowledge of other religions, leading to misconceptions. It is depicted in simple things such as sending ‘happy’ messages innocently on occasions of mourning to followers of another religion or in works of art. But there is also a darker side to society that is seen in the reinforcement of prejudice about other religions and the use of words and expressions that lead to crime. It can also be seen in praising the virtues of one’s own belief and placing the other in an unfavorable light. Clearly, all this points to the need to foster an understanding in society about other religions and their sensibility. This is especially needed in our multi-religious society at a time when religiosity is increasing rapidly across the world.

During VIP visit

It was unfortunate that Ms. Sharma’s remarks led to the situation when Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu was on a three-nation visit to Gabon, Senegal and Qatar. Mr Naidu left India on 30 May and was to reach Doha on 4 June, after visiting two African countries. Clearly, the Indian foreign policy establishment, led by the External Affairs Minister, missed the sentiments that were brewing in the Islamic world because of Ms Sharma’s remarks. , If the External Affairs Minister had assessed what was happening, he would certainly have acted to prevent any embarrassment to the Vice President on foreign soil. There is hardly any dispute that the President, Vice President and Prime Minister of India should not be put in an uncomfortable position even when they are abroad. Was this omission caused by a lack of appreciation of how the Prophet aroused the Islamic spirit due to the perception of disrespect?

According to a report in this newspaper, the “damage control” process began when the Vice President was flying from Senegal to Doha and Qataris reported that there should be a ceremonial banquet for Mr Naidu’s host, the Deputy Emir of Qatar. was closed as he was suspected to have been exposed to COVID-19. In such circumstances a very senior person organizes the traditional banquet but it is not cancelled. Now it also appears that the Indian side was taken aback when the Indian Ambassador to Doha was summoned on 5 June and Qatar appreciated the action taken by the BJP against Ms. Sharma and Mr. Jindal and demanded that India should visit Ms. Apologize publicly. Sharma’s remarks against the Prophet. The question of commenting on the statement of any party functionary does not arise.

This can only be called a very aggressive action by Qatar against India. This could only have caused the greatest embarrassment to Mr. Naidu. It is to his credit that he took the journey forward. After the Qataris made their action public, other Islamic countries also lodged protests. India did well to dismiss the statements of the OIC and Pakistan, as they were based on political considerations.

the last word

There is a mutuality of interests between the Arab states and India, and so as temperatures cool, relations will continue to flow. But India should take a clear lesson from this whole episode, starting with greater sensitivity towards all religions for the promotion of social harmony and India’s external interests.

Vivek Katju is a former diplomat