Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (File photo)
New Delhi: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has sparked diplomatic spat with India following his remarks about the “suffering of Muslims” worldwide, including in India. The comments, made in a social media post commemorating the Prophet Muhammad’s birth anniversary, have drawn a sharp rebuke from New Delhi.
In his message, Khamenei highlighted the plight of Muslim communities in India, Gaza, and Myanmar, calling for global Muslim attention to these issues.
He said: “The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah,” adding, “We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in Myanmar, Gaza, India, or any other place.”
The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) September 16, 2024
The remarks were part of a broader statement addressing the challenges faced by Muslims in various regions.
However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (foreign ministry) swiftly responded and labelled the top Iranian ayatollah’s comments as “misinformed and unacceptable”.
In a strongly worded statement, the foreign ministry asserted that such remarks were based on inaccurate information. In a terse statement, on Monday, it said: “We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the supreme leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable.”
Statement on Unacceptable Comments made by the Supreme Leader of Iran:https://t.co/Db94FGChaF pic.twitter.com/MpOFxtfuRO
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 16, 2024
New Delhi also emphasized that foreign nations commenting on the treatment of minorities in India should first examine their own human rights records. It said: “Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others.”
The foreign ministry’s response reflected India’s long-standing stance against external criticism founded on – what it deems – incorrect narratives. From time to time, India has been urging foreign countries to refrain from making statements without factual basis, particularly regarding its internal affairs.
Although Khamenei’s message was aimed to address concerns within the global Muslim community, this is not the first time Khamenei has remarked on issues India strongly believes are its internal affairs. In August 2019, he and a group of his country’s top ayatollahs condemned India’s move to remove Jammu & Kashmir’s special status and bifurcate the erstwhile state.
While Indian officials have not commented on potential impacts on bilateral relations with Iran, the forceful rebuttal signals India’s firm opposition to international interference in its internal matters. Nonetheless, the latest diplomatic exchange has brought to the fore ongoing sensitivities surrounding the treatment of Muslim in India.
