- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA has faced a massive diplomatic backlash from a number of Islamic nations, including from the Gulf, after a member of its ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made some controversial remarks over Prophet Muhammad. The saffron party suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Naveen Kumar Jindal in the face of the backlash while the government tried to control the damage.
The foreign ministries of three Gulf states of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued official statements slamming the remarks of Sharma and Jindal and sought apology. Iran, another major player in the region, also criticised India and summoned its envoy ahead of its foreign minister’s visit to India.
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India has been accused of not honouring the rights of its minority communities during the ruckus. In fact, a report from the US on the state of religious freedom in India sparked a controversy a few days with New Delhi rejecting it.
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But while the world, especially the Islamic one, condemned the remarks on the Prophet and questioned the condition of India’s minorities, India Weekly take a look at the state of religious freedoms in the Islamic world.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has put Saudi Arabia among countries of particular concern.
Under the kingdom’s law, freedom of religion is not allowed and it criminalises “anyone who challenges, either directly or indirectly, the religion or justice of the King or Crown Prince”.
Religious freedom conditions in the Sunni-majority nation are poor. While the government has recently removed various religious restrictions on women’s rights and also passed a legislation targeting child remarriages, yet public practice of any non-Islamic religion is not allowed. According to the USCIRF, Saudi doesn’t allow any place of worship other than mosques.
The minority Sunni Muslims often face discrimination in Saudi Arabia and many of them have been executed in recent years as well.
The Freedom Index by Country 2022 shows Saudi Arabia’s Human Freedom Score to be 5.12, 1.27 less than that of India (6.39). Its Personal Freedom Score is worse at 3.89 (India has 6.20) and its overall HF Rank is 155 (India is at 119).
In Iran, a Shia-majority state, too, religious freedom continues to be under the scanner. The country’s constitution calls it an Islamic republic and specifies Twelver Ja’afari Shia Islam as its official state religion. It also lays out that all laws and regulations have to be based on “Islamic criteria” and an official interpretation of Sharia.
Iran has also been accused of discriminating against the Jewish community and since 1999, it has been termed as a “Country of Particular Concern” on grounds of religious freedom, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
Iran takes action against those who demand greater religious freedom and harass and imprison women who object to the wearing of religious headscarves.
Christians, especially Christian converts, Bahai’s and Sunni Muslims have found life difficult in Iran.
According to the Freedom Index by Country 2022, Iran’s Human Freedom Score is 4.53, 1.86 less than that of India. Its Personal Freedom Score is 4.14 (2.06 less than India) and its overall Human Freedom Rank is 160 (41 places below India).
The Constitution of Kuwait says Islam is the state religion but also speaks about absolute freedom of belief. As per the law of the land, all individuals are equal before the law irrespective of the religion even though Sharia is the main source of legislation.
Defamation of Islam, Christianity and Judaism and practices the government of the country considers inconsistent with the Islamic law are not allowed in Kuwait.
Religious minorities face discrimination in Kuwait, including the Shia Muslims who are mostly migrants from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Bahrain and constitute around 35 per cent of the population.
While Shias have the same legal rights as Sunnis and can avail education, health care, and other state benefits, they are often seen as low on the social scale and marginalised in religious, economic, social, and political domains.
According to the Freedom Index by Country 2022, Kuwait’s Human Freedom Score is 6.34 (out of 10), 0.05 less than that of India. Its Personal Freedom Score is 6.07 (0.13 less than India) and its overall Human Freedom Rank is 121 (India is at 119).
Qatar has Islam as the state religion and the country’s legislation is governed by Sharia. Under it, any act that “offends” Islam or any of its beliefs or commitment of blasphemy against Islam, Judaism or Christianity is punishable.
Besides the Sunni and Shia Muslims, eight Christian denominations make up Qatar’s religious groups. Groups that are not registered are considered illegal and the authorities only permit them to practice their faith privately.
In the 2021 World Watch List report, the Christian non-profit Open Doors USA observed that Muslims who convert to Christianity face challenges. “Converts from both indigenous and migrant backgrounds bear the brunt of persecution, and Qatari converts face very high pressure from their families,” it said.
Qatar has been accused of encouraging religious cleansing of the Baha’i community, a religious minority in the Bani Dugal, the Baha’i International Community representative to the United Nations said earlier this year. “This pattern of deportation is tantamount to religious cleansing – if it continues, an entire religious community could be erased in a few years,” it was said.
Hindus from India and Nepal comprise less than 16 per cent of Qatar’s population. Representatives of the minority community have expressed concern that the Qatari government had disallowed them to open new places of worship, according to the US department’s 2021 report on religious freedom.
As per the Freedom Index by Country 2022, Qatar’s Human Freedom Score is 6.15, 0.24 less than that of India which has 6.39. Its Personal Freedom Score is 5.48 (0.72 less than India) and its overall HF Rank is 128 (nine worse than India).
