Reactions In India To Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's Remarks On Treatment Of Indian Muslims: 'Countries Commenting On Minorities Are Advised To Look At Their Own Record'; 'Iran Is Funding All The Major Terror Organizations Worldwide'

On September 16, 2024, Iranian Supreme Leader Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, met with Sunni Islamic religious scholars who represent the minority Sunnis in Iran to mark Islamic Unity Week. On this occasion, Khamenei posted a series of tweets from his official account on social media network X.

"The concept of an 'Islamic Ummah' must never be forgotten. Protecting the identity of the 'Islamic Ummah' is essential. It is a fundamental issue that transcends nationality, and geographical borders don't change the reality & identity of the Islamic Ummah," Khamenei said and, in a subsequent tweet, accused "the enemies of Islam" of dividing global Islamic unity, especially singling out India, among others.[1]

The Iranian leader stated: "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."[2]

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran

While there have been indeed attacks on Muslims and Christians in India by extremist Hindus, Khamenei's singling out India in his tweet disturbed commentators and officials in India.

The U.S.'s annual International Religious Freedom Report, released in June 2024, had expressed concern over attacks on religious minorities in India, especially Muslims and Christians, including killings, assaults, and vandalism of houses of worship by extremist Hindus.[3] Unveiling the report, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities."[4]

Indian Government: "We Strongly Deplore The Comments Made Regarding Minorities In India By The Supreme Leader Of Iran"

The government of India reacted swiftly and, within hours of Khamenei's tweet, condemned his comment on Indian Muslims. In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement saying: "We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others."[5]

Indian Islamic religious scholar Mufti Wajahat Qasmi, reacting to Imam Khamenei's remarks on Indian Muslims, said: "Whether the Indian Muslim is happy or in difficulty, what do countries like Iran and Pakistan have to do with it?  Iran has tried to disturb the peace of the entire world. Iran is the one that is funding Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran is engaged in the Syrian war... Iran is engaged in spoiling the atmosphere of Iraq. Iran is funding all the major terror organizations worldwide..."[6]

Writing in The Indian Express, political commentator Zeyaur Rahman observed: "There is a tendency among leaders of Muslim nations to speak on behalf of 1.9 billion Muslims even though there is no equivalent office to the Pope in Islam."[7] He added: "Post the abolition of the official Caliphate in 1924, regional Islamic leaders have wanted to fill the vacuum. Khamenei's statement should be analyzed against this backdrop. His endeavour to lay markers for Muslims worldwide lacks as much mandate as other self-styled Caliphs of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State."[8]

"Iran, A Reactionary State That Isn't Willing To Provide Freedom Of Expression, Culture And Dress To Its Majority Citizens, Has No Business Talking About The Plight Of Minorities Elsewhere"

Zeyaur Rahman further said: "Comparing the lot of Indian Muslims with the state-sponsored extermination of Rohingyas and the existential threat of Palestinians called for a serious riposte, which was urgently and duly provided by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"Iran, a reactionary state that isn't willing to provide freedom of expression, culture and dress to its majority citizens, has no business talking about the plight of minorities elsewhere. The statement also doesn't specify if Muslims should be perturbed by the plight of Armenians in Azerbaijan or even the persecution of Muslims of non-dominant creeds and ethnicities in Muslim countries of which there are too many to name here.

"Since we are on the topic of the treatment of minorities, let us have a look at the practice of Gozinesh, which has a legal sanction in Iran. Gozinesh (literally, selection) is a biased screening process that impacts liberties and access to employment and education of unrecognized minorities. The official position of the Iranian government is that the laws and liberties are equal for all officially recognized religions. That leaves a bunch of religious and ethnic groups like Bahai, Azeri, etc, outside the framework and subjects them to institutional discrimination through the Gozinesh law passed in 1985. So much for the spokesman of suffering minorities all over the world."[9]