THE United States yesterday condemned remarks by Indian ruling party officials about Prophet Muhammad that have sparked uproar in Muslim countries.

“We condemn the offensive comments made by two BJP officials and are glad to see that the party publicly condemns those comments,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

“We regularly engage at senior levels with the Indian government on human rights concerns including freedom of religion or belief… we encourage India to promote respect for human rights.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Nupur Sharma made televised remarks about the youngest wife of the prophet that have triggered demonstrations across the Islamic world.

The remarks set off diplomatic protests not only in rival Pakistan, but also wealthy Arab states that usually enjoy close relations with India.

Protesters in Bangladesh demanded a formal condemnation from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of India.

BJP, in damage-control mode, suspended Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, another figure in the party accused of inflammatory tweets about the prophet.

The US has sought to deepen ties with India since the late 1990s, believing the two largest democracies in the world have common interests, especially in the face of a rising China.

The US, however, has several times carefully voiced concern about human rights in India as Modi faces accusations of pursuing policies that target the Muslim minority. – AFP, June 17, 2022.