The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today, Sunday, the summoning of the Indian ambassador and delivering a formal memorandum rejecting and condemning the remarks made by a ruling party official against the Prophet Muhammad. In a statement, the Qatari foreign ministry said: "Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Dr. Deepak Mittal, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the state, and handed him an official memorandum expressing Qatar's disappointment, total rejection, and condemnation of the statements made by an official in the ruling party in India against the Prophet Muhammad."
The statement added: "Mr. Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, delivered the memorandum to the Indian ambassador." The Qatari foreign ministry continued in its statement: "While Qatar welcomes the statement issued by the ruling party in India announcing the suspension of the official's party activities due to his statements that angered Muslims around the world, it had previously confirmed in the protest memorandum its expectation of a public apology and an immediate condemnation of these statements from the Government of India, pointing out that allowing such anti-Islamic statements to continue unchecked poses a serious danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further bias and marginalization, which will result in a cycle of violence and hatred."
It added: "The memorandum indicated that more than two billion Muslims around the world follow the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad and his biography, which came as a message of peace, understanding, and tolerance, and consider it the light that Muslims around the world follow." The statement remarked: "Qatar affirmed that these offensive statements inciting religious hatred are an insult to all Muslims worldwide, indicating a clear ignorance of the pivotal role that Islam has played in the development of civilizations across the globe, including in India."
The foreign ministry concluded its statement by reiterating Qatar's full support for the values of tolerance, coexistence, and respect for all religions and nationalities, as these values define Qatar's global friendships and its tireless work to contribute to establishing international security and peace. The spokesperson for the ruling "Bharatiya Janata" party in India, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had previously tweeted about the marriage of the Prophet to Aisha at a young age.
