Jeddah: Saudi Arabia has condemned the blasphemous statement made by BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The Saudi Foreign Ministry has condemned the remarks of an Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson who insulted the Prophet Muhammad, and welcomed the BJP’s move to suspend the spokesman, reiterating the country’s stance on respect for beliefs and religions.
BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma made the controversial remarks during a televised discussion on the Gyanwapi issue. Muslims mocked Hindu beliefs by calling the Shiva lingam found in the mosque a spring. Therefore, Nupur Sharma had said that there are certain things in Muslim scriptures and people can ridicule them. In addition, Nupur Sharma made some offensive remarks.
Several countries, including Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Iran, had earlier protested against the statement. The BJP has suspended Nupur Sharma, who was quoted by the central government as saying that he was not involved in the statement due to strong protests from around the world. BJP general secretary Arun Singh had earlier fired Naveen Kumar Jindal, the BJP’s Delhi media in-charge, for insulting the Prophet in a similar tweet.