UNITED NATIONS, Jun 14 (Alliance News):The United Nations Tuesday called for a halt to violence based on “religious differences and hatred” in India where Muslims protesting against derogatory remarks by the ruling party leaders about Holy Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) are being attacked.
“Our position is, as we’ve said, time is for the full respect of religion for calling against any sort of hate speech or incitement, and of course, a halt to any sort of violence, especially one based on perceived religious differences and hatred,” the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in response to a question about U.N’s stand on the escalating violence against Muslim.
The derogatory references to Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party has generated a huge diplomatic outrage, with several Muslim countries, including Pakistan, lodging official protests against India. Anger has poured out on social media, and calls for a boycott of Indian goods have surfaced in some Islamic nations.
The controversial remarks follow increasing violence targeting India’s Muslim minority carried out by Hindu nationalists who have been emboldened by Modi’s regular silence about such attacks since he was first elected in 2014.
Over the years, Indian Muslims have been often targeted for everything from their food and clothing style to inter-religious marriages. Watchdog groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that attacks could escalate.
Rights groups have also accused Modi’s ruling party of looking the other way and sometimes enabling hate speech against Muslims.
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