Condemning Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's controversial comments over the alleged suffering of Muslims in India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday strongly hit back to Iran and termed the remarks"misinformed and unacceptable".
What did Khamenei say?
Khamenei highlighting the 'suffering' of Muslim communities worldwide, including countries like 'India, Gaza, and Myanmar' while addressing a gathering of clerics in Tehran on Monday on the occasion of Prophet Mohammed's birth anniversary, sparked a row.
Taking it to social media platform X, Khamenei posted, "The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place."
Khamenei's controversial remark came on the day when thousands of women in Iran hit the streets without the headscarf, or hijab, as a symbol of solidarity to mark the second anniversary of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's death.
On September 16, 2022, Amini died in a hospital while being in the custody of Iran’s ‘Morality Police’. She was detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities.
'Misinformed, Unacceptable': MEA reacts to Iranian leaders' remark
Reacting to the objectionable post where India was compared to Gaza and Myanmar in terms of the suffering of muslims, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said countries commenting on minorities in India should look at their "own record" before making any observations about others.
"We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable," he said.
"Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others," Jaiswal said.
India-Iran diplomatic ties
India and Iran are known to share a strong diplomatic relation including a key involvement in the strategic Chabahar port, where a terminal is operated by an Indian state-run company.
Following the deaths of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and former Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar visited Iran in May to attend the official ceremony for paying condolences. Moreover, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, held in Tehran.
