Even after Nupur Sharma's apology and BJP's stern action against her over the derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammad, the controversy surrounding the now-suspended leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is far from dying down. Protests against Sharma have increased along with the demands of several Islamic organisations to arrest her.
However, Nupur Sharma has now found an ally in the saffron brigade amid the brewing controversy and death threats.
Threats to behead the former BJP leader have enraged the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Not only that, but several BJP MPs and leaders have publicly voiced their support for Nupur Sharma.
On June 11, over 200 saints came to Haridwar to voice their support for Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal. They voiced their anger with how the issue has been used to incite unrest and violent protests around the country.
Stating that it was for the court to decide whether Nupur Sharma's remarks were hate speech or not, they argued that the ex-BJP leader had quoted from authentic Hadith.
But, what did Nupur Sharma say? What exactly is the Prophet Mohammad controversy which prompted a backlash against India from numerous Gulf countries?
Nupur Sharma is the former national spokesperson of the ruling BJP. She was suspended from the post after the controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad that eventually gained international attention, tarnishing India's image on the global stage.
Sharma, 37, holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Hindu College and a law degree from the university's Faculty of Law. She also holds a master's degree in law from the London School of Economics.
Sharma began her political career as a student leader and went on to become the president of the Delhi University Students' Union in 2008. The National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the Congress's student wing, had a strong presence on campuses at the time. So, while Nupur won the presidency, the NSUI won all of the other posts.
The most high-profile of her electoral fights was in 2015 when she contested against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal for the New Delhi Assembly seat. She was defeated by 31,583 votes.
Nupur Sharma, who has been a major face of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the party's youth wing, has held many positions in the party, including the member of the youth wing's national executive committee and member of the Delhi state executive committee.
When then-state unit president Manoj Tiwari formed his team in 2017, she was named the Delhi BJP's spokesperson.
Sharma was appointed as a national spokesperson by JP Nadda when he formed his team in September 2020.
Sharma has become a familiar face to Indian television viewers in recent years. She can be seen and heard yelling at and heckling her political opponents, even calling them names, on most evenings.
It all started when BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma made offensive comments during a debate on the dispute over the Gyanvapi mosque.
A little about Gyanvapi mosque row - Hindus allege that the mosque in Varanasi was built on the ruins of a large 16th-century Hindu shrine that Mughal ruler Aurangzeb destroyed in 1669. And now, some have moved to court seeking permission to pray within the mosque complex.
A controversial court ruling allowing a video-recorded survey of the mosque is said to have discovered a stone shaft that the petitioners claim is a Shivalinga, Shiva's emblem. The mosque's administration, on the other hand, insists that it is a water fountain.
The case is being heard in court, but the claims and counter-claims are being aired on TV channels constantly, and Nupur Sharma has been a vocal supporter of Hindu nationalism.
Coming back to Nupur Sharma's controversial comments - on 27 May, the now-suspended BJP leader made derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad and his wife Aisha.
A clip of the same was shared by journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair, which went viral in no time. In short, Mohammad Zubair is the man behind making this issue international.
Soon, BJP suspended Nupur Sharma from the party's primary membership and released a statement clarifying that the party "respects all religions."
BJP leader Naveen Kumar Jindal has also been accused of making inflammatory remarks against minorities. He along with Nupur Sharma was suspended by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the matter gained international attention.
Where Nupur Sharma made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad during a news debate on the Gyanvapi issue, Naveen Jindal posted a tweet about the Prophet, which he later deleted.
The controversy, however, continues to focus on Nupur Sharma rather than Jindal.
After her sacking from the BJP, Nupur Sharma in a statement wrote that she is withdrawing her remarks "unconditionally", however, attempted to justify her comments by claiming that they were in response to "the continuous insult and disrespect towards the Hindu god Shiva".
The ex-BJP leader later alleged that she was being "bombarded with rape, death and beheading threats against my sister, mother, father and myself".
She further accused Zubair of "peddling a fake narrative to vitiate the atmosphere, cause communal disharmony & cause communal & targeted hatred against me & my family".
Sharma also tagged Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda in her tweets. "The prime minister's office, the home minister's office, and the party president's office were rallying behind me," she revealed to a sympathetic interviewer a few days later.
However, tensions rose when Muslims staged protests in Kanpur which turned violent.
Protests and curfews continued in several states. The Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh, in turn, dispatched bulldozers to raze the homes of some of the demonstrators in some of the state's main cities, where there had been widespread unrest.
After violent protests, heavy police deployment was seen in Silchar, Ranchi, Howrah, Prayagraj, and areas of Jammu & Kashmir.
Sharma has been suspended and several FIRs have been lodged against her around the country.
At least two people have been killed and hundreds have been jailed in skirmishes between protesters and police. In Ranchi, nine FIRs have been lodged in connection with the violence and deaths during police shootings.
Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Iran, Jordan, Bahrain, Maldives, Libya, Indonesia, and Afghanistan were among the countries that organised official protests against India. The countries condemned and denounced the insults to the Prophet Muhammad and demanded an apology from the Indian Government.
Following this, Indian diplomats strived to appease these countries, with whom it shares cordial relations.
Clarifying India's stand on the matter, the foreign ministry of India issued a statement saying that the offensive tweets and comments "did not, in any way, reflect the views of the government. These are the views of fringe elements".
The clear stand of India and the BJP's stern action of suspending Nupur Sharma was lauded by furious Gulf countries; however, experts believe that this may not be enough.
The controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad made by BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal sparked outrage in Islamic countries. As a result, hashtags calling for a boycott of Indian products were trending on Twitter.
Many supermarkets in Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain have reportedly removed Indian products off their shelves.
Latching on to the controversy, the Islamic State Khorasan Province, an affiliate of the terror outfit Islamic State, has released a video of over 10-minutes, focusing on India and alleged blasphemy issues involving Nupur Sharma.
The video shows Sharma and the demolition drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri in which a part of a mosque was also razed. Further, in the news bulletin by ISKP's mouthpiece AlAzaim foundation, the terror group threatens to target Hindus to avenge the insult of the Prophet.
“The video features@NupurSharmaBJP, the national spokesperson of the @BJP4India and houses of Muslims bulldozed. It then features previous statements of ISKP suicide bombers who were Indian. Threatening to conduct attacks against India wherever possible,” a tweet by independent news handle Khorasan Diary reads.
Earlier this month, Al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) threatened suicide attacks in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai and Gujarat to "fight for the dignity of our Prophet".
"Saffron terrorists should now await their end in Delhi and Bombay, and in UP and Gujarat," AQIS stated in a June 6 threat letter.
While violent protests, rape and death threats against Nupur Sharma and her family cannot be justified at any cost, the remarks made by the ruling party's former leader reflect India's persistent religious intolerance.
Critics believe that religious intolerance in India has increased since the BJP came to power. Hindu groups moving to court, seeking permission to pray inside the mosque by claiming that it was built on the ruins of a razed temple have worsened the situation.
Provocative debates have been held by "Godi Media," and social media is rife with hatred. Furthermore, critics argue that Nupur Sharma was not a "fringe element," but rather an official spokesperson for the ruling party tasked with representing the BJP's viewpoints.
Continued attacks on minorities in any way could lead to a civil war in the country in the coming decades. However, there is still hope for India.
The international fallout from the controversy is an alarm bell and people must realise that divisive politics can have huge repercussions.
“The need of the moment is not one religion, but mutual respect and tolerance of the devotees of the different religions" -Mahatma Gandhi
