The Mayor of Male’ joins Members of the Male’ City Council in issuing a total rejection and unequivocal condemnation to the insulting remarks about the Holy Prophet of Islam Muhammad (S. A. W.), by senior officials of India’s ruling Bharatija Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While it is not the first incident of systemic hate speech, Islamophobia, violence against Muslims, attacks on Islamic sanctities of worship and extremist rhetoric by the BJP-led Indian administration, the derogatory remarks by Nupun Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal that were aired by Indian State television, directed at the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (S. A. W.) and Aisha (R. A.), has offended the two-billion strong Muslim Ummah, including the proudly 100-percent Muslim population of the Maldives.

We demand a public apology by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the entire Muslim Ummah, including a firm commitment to stop his government and party officials from such pathetic actions and words in the future, as well as a realignment of Indian administration to the country’s founding principles of equal rights and respect for all minorities.

We are also deeply concerned by the reluctant acknowledgement and weak response of the Maldivian government, as well as the Solih regime’s shameful attempts at shielding India from global action aimed at disciplining the far-right administration in the country from victimizing its Muslim minority. It is regrettable that the Maldivian government failed to summoned the Indian High Commissioner to relay the demands of our people for India to issue a formal apology. The Maldivian government’s actions do not reflect the sentiments of our people.

The Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (S. A. W.) is enshrined in our hearts and minds, and insulting and hurtful remarks by Hindutva zealots will spark sentiments of anger in us all.