Supermarket officials said a company-wide boycott was being considered.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUWAIT CITY – Supermarkets in Kuwait have officially removed Indian products from their shelves. Iran has even become the latest country in the Middle East to summon the Indian ambassador for insulting the Prophet Muhammad in Indian politician this.
Al-Ardiya Co-Operative Society store workers piled Indian tea and other goods into carts to protest Islamophobic comments. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other countries in the region, as well as the influential Al-Azhar University in Cairo, condemned the statement by spokesman for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.
The party spokesperson was suspended. In supermarkets outside Kuwait City, bags of rice and shelves of spices and chillies are covered in plastic sheeting. It reads written in Arabic: “We have withdrawn Indian products”.
“We as Kuwaiti Muslims do not accept insults against the Prophet Muhammad,” said Nasser Al-Mutairi, CEO of Al-Ardiya Cooperative Society. Arab NewsTuesday (7/6/2022).
A supermarket official said a company-wide boycott was being considered. Bharatiya Janata party spokesman Nupur Sharma is said to have mocked the Prophet Muhammad, who married Siti Aisyah when she was nine years old. His comments sparked an outcry among Muslims, even spreading overseas to Muslim countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s far-right party has often acted against the country’s Muslim minority. Because his statement caused controversy, the party decided to suspend Sharma and asserted that Sharma’s comments were not the views of the party.
On Sunday (5/6/2022), Qatar demanded that India apologize for Islamophobic remarks when Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu visited the Gulf state to boost trade. Followed by Iran and Kuwait summoning the Indian Ambassador to protest on behalf of the government and the people.
Al-Azhar University, one of the most important Islamic institutions, said the comments were real terrorism and could plunge the whole world into a deadly crisis and war. The Muslim World League, based in Saudi Arabia, said the remarks could incite hatred. The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Saudi Arabia called it a heinous act.
In further criticism from Indian officials, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council coordination group condemned, dismissed and denounced the comments. Bahrain also welcomes the decision BJP to suspend Sharma for provoking Muslim sentiments and inciting religious hatred.
The Gulf States are the main destination for overseas Indian workers, accounting for 8.7 million out of a total of 13.5 million worldwide. They are also major importers of products from India and elsewhere. Kuwait imports 95% of its food from India. Kuwaiti media reported that the government had asked New Delhi for an exemption from India’s surprise ban on wheat exports due to food security and inflation concerns.
Read also: History today: Prophet Muhammad SAW dies in the arms of Aisyah
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