Popular calls escalated in the Islamic world to condemn Indian officials and politicians' abuse of Islam and the shrine of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace. Official positions were also renewed, as the issue was present in a meeting between the Iranian Foreign Minister and the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in a tweet on Twitter - after his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Foreign Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Wednesday - that the two sides agreed on the need to "respect the heavenly religions and Islamic sanctities and refrain from making discriminatory statements."
Iran was among the Islamic countries whose governments summoned the ambassadors of India this week to inform them of an official protest against statements made by two spokesmen for the Bharatiya Janata Party - led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - that insulted the Holy Prophet.
And in the face of popular and official anger in the Islamic world, the ruling party in India was forced to suspend the membership of its spokeswoman, Nupur Sharma, last Sunday, and the spokesman, Naveen Kumar Jindal, was also dismissed.
India's foreign ministry said the speakers' statements did not in any way reflect the views of the government.
Foreign Minister Dr. Hussain Amir Abdollahian met Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.
The Foreign Minister referred to the talks held during his current visit with Indian officials, and emphasized the harmony and consensus in the talks and the number of different areas of cooperation between Iran and India.
pic.twitter.com/P9lfWEb0sf
— 🇮🇷 Iranian Foreign Ministry (@IRIMFA_AR) June 9, 2022
Interactions continue on social media platforms today, Thursday, through several hashtags, including "the anger of the billionaire against the Messenger of God", and "boycott of Indian products" in Arabic and English, as well as the hashtag "Prophet Muhammad" in English.
Tweeters published lists of Indian companies and pictures of their brands, calling for their boycott in support of the Holy Prophet.
These are some of the Indian products ...
without neglecting the films, serials and works of art
... It must be a comprehensive boycott in support of our noble Prophet ... # boycott_of_indian_products_pic.twitter.com/4GbHLd9jYO
— kamal amin😎 (@kamalam44519110) June 9, 2022
Prosecution of the arrested spokeswoman
On the other hand, the Indian authorities appeared to be trying to contain this tide, as the police in New Delhi announced today, Thursday, that it had filed a lawsuit against Nupur Sharma, the suspended ruling party spokeswoman for spreading sedition on social media.
New Delhi police said on Twitter that it had registered two main complaints based on "analysis of social media, against those who try to disturb public security and incite people to division".
"One is related to Ms. Nupur Sharma and the other is to various entities on social media," she added.
Protesters in Calcutta, India, demand the arrest of suspended party spokeswoman Nupur Sharma (Reuters)
Sharma had tried to defend her comments in which she was exposed to the shrine of the Holy Prophet, writing on Twitter on Sunday that her comments were in response to a "continuous insult and disrespect" to a Hindu deity during a television debate.
In the same context, demands were renewed on social media platforms in India to arrest and hold Indian journalist Suresh Chavank accountable for his repeated abuse of Islam and Muslims, and for his previous incitement to demolish the Prophet's Mosque.
Activists demanded a firm stand against Chavhanke, through comments on the hashtag (#ArrestSureshChavhanke).
Pro #Hindutva anchor of Indian channel #SureshChavhanke presented his wish as a visual of missile attack on #MasjidENabawi, #Madina on #SudarshanChannel 15 May 2021.
It's painful attack on #Muslim world, but this islamophobic man still not arrested!#ArrestSureshChavhanke pic.twitter.com/1egcq53LFX
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) June 7, 2022
The campaign participants attached a video clip of an episode of Shavank's program, dating back to May 15 last year, in which he encouraged support for then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his war on the Gaza Strip.
During his episode, Shavank broadcast a composite clip depicting the targeting of the Prophet's Mosque with missiles.
Chavank is known for his stances against Muslims in India, as he describes them as terrorists and vandals and calls for the demolition of their homes and mosques.
He was among the most vocal opponents of the suspension of the ruling party's spokeswoman, Nupur Sharma, and her colleague, Naveen Kumar Jindal.