Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, just weeks after its spokeswoman Nupur Sharma’s remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) set off anger in the Muslim world, including the Gulf.
Modi shared an embrace with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who met the Indian leader at Abu Dhabi airport, according to a tweet by India’s foreign ministry spokesperson.“I am touched by the special gesture of my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of coming to welcome me at Abu Dhabi airport. My gratitude to him,” Modi tweeted. The one-day visit by Modi, who is heading back to India after attending the G7 summit in Germany, follows protests by Gulf states earlier this month after a spokesperson for his party made disparaging remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on TV.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia condemned the comments, while Qatar and Kuwait summoned their Indian ambassadors. One Kuwaiti supermarket took Indian goods off its shelves. Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her disrespectful comments. The remarks were also blamed for clashes in India and prompted demands for her arrest. Pakistan had also strongly condemned the remarks of BJP leaders against the Prophet as President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked the ruling BJP to shun and denounce its extremist and fascist Hindutva ideology…
Source: dawn.com
