Anti-Islamic rhetoric, India faces 'major diplomatic crisis'

 India is facing a major diplomatic crisis with Muslim countries following insulting remarks about the Prophet of Islam by leaders of the ruling BJP.

According to Arab News, BJP spokespersons Nopur Sharma and Naveen Jundal had made "painful" remarks about the Prophet of Islam.

The BJP suspended Nopur Sharma and sacked Naveen Jundal after strong reactions from Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Experts say India's international status, especially in the Gulf, is at stake.

Sudhindra Kalkarni, a former adviser to former BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told Arab News that the Indian government should have stopped all such hateful propaganda, politics and activities. It is not the BJP but the country that will pay the price for anti-Muslim politics.

Under Modi's leadership, India's foreign policy has given priority to relations with Arab countries and these close ties are important for the South Asian country.

These ties are important to India because of its oil imports and remittances from the Gulf states, as 4 million Indians are employed in the region and remit more than 80 80 billion annually.

"For all these reasons, India cannot afford an Arab world that is angry with it," Manoj Joshi, a foreign policy expert with the Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation, told Arab News.

"India's relations with the Arab world are going through a golden age," said Meena Singh Rai, head of the West and Central Asia Center at the Talutma Foundation. We must not do anything to derail it. "

Sanjay Kapoor, editor-in-chief of the political magazine Hard News, told Arab News: Can

The Indian government has not yet commented on the Arab protests, but the foreign ministry said on Monday that the OIC statement was "unnecessary".

The BJP has said that these remarks are not in line with the ideology representing the BJP.

Spokesperson Sadish Verma told Arab News that the BJP does not believe in insulting religious figures.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's opposition Congress party, wrote on Twitter that "the actions of the ruling party are weakening the country globally."

"The shameful bias of the BJP has not only isolated us but also damaged India's position on the world stage," he said.