New Delhi: India warned Monday its citizens living in the UAE against discrimination. The warning came after the Arab countries accused Indians of blaming Muslims for the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
The Islamic missionary Tablighi Jamaat has emerged as the super-spreader of coronavirus cases in India. Many users on social media have been posting communally provocative content, triggering outrage among Muslims in the Gulf countries.
No discrimination
Taking note of the growing complaints, the ambassador to the UAE, Pavan Kapoor has tried to restore peace. “India and UAE share the value of non-discrimination on any grounds. Discrimination is against our moral fabric and the Rule of law. Indian nationals in the UAE should always remember this,” Kapoor said in a tweet Monday.
Kapoor based his comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier tweet. “Covid-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood. We are in this together,” Modi had tweeted.
The warning to Indian nationals in the Gulf came after Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the Islamophobic campaign. The OIC is a federation of 57 Muslim Nations. It Sunday ‘condemned the unrelenting vicious Islamophobic campaign in India maligning Muslims for spread of COVID-19’. The OIC also said that negative profiling in media of Muslims have ‘subjected them to discrimination and violence with impunity’.
In another tweet, IPHRC urged the Indian government to take ‘urgent steps to stop the growing tide of Islamophobia in India’. It also said that rights of its persecuted Muslim minority should be protected. The tweets were liked and retweeted by hundreds of users.
Royal warning
A member of UAE’s royal family, Princess Hend Al Qassimi warned an Indian living in the UAE against his controversial tweets. Qassimi said, “Anyone that is openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave.” Over 14,000 people liked her tweet and thousands joined the Twitter conversation.
“The ruling family is friends with Indians, but as a royal your rudeness is not welcome. All employees are paid to work, no one comes for free. You make your bread and butter from this land which you scorn and your ridicule will not go unnoticed,” she further warned the Indian national.
Disciplinary action sought
Several other Twitter users from other Arab countries alleged that Hindus are treated well in the Gulf countries. However, Muslims in India are being mistreated. One Arab Twitter, accused parliamentarian Tejasvi Surya of racism and sexism for an old tweet. In the tweet the parliamentarian had quoted Canadian author Tarek Fatah on Arab women.
“India’s relation with the Arab world has been that of mutual respect. Do you allow your parliamentarian to publicly humiliate our women? We expect your urgent punitive action against Tejasvi Surya for his disgraceful comment,” the Arab tweeted.
IANS