Delhi riots: Iran condemns 'wave of organized violence' against Muslims
What's the story
In a development that will not find many takers in India, Iran has officially spoken on the riots that rocked New Delhi last week and said it condemned the "wave of violence" against Indian Muslims. The views were expressed on Monday night by Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The diplomat-minister asked the Indian government to not let "senseless thuggery" prevail.
Context
Hindus and Muslims killed one another, vandalized property
Smoke, fire, cries, horror, and deaths dominated Northeast Delhi earlier last week when rioters of both Hindu and Muslim communities bayed for each other's blood. So far, over 45, including a cop and an intelligence officer, have died in the carnage. The damage caused to property is also humongous. As many as 122 homes were gutted and the number is likely to swell.
Reactions
Erdogan called the violence 'massacre by Hindus'
Before Iran, other Muslim-dominated countries like Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan spoke on the violence. CAA and the proposed nation-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC) were also condemned by Pakistan and Bangladesh. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who fancies himself as a devout Muslim, said, "India right now has become a country where massacres are widespread. What massacres? Massacres of Muslims. By who? Hindus."
OIC
OIC said it's worried about alarming violence, MEA rejected it
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had also given its take on the violence, by tweeting, "The OIC condemns recent and alarming violence against Muslims in India, resulting in the death and injury of innocent people and the arson and vandalism of mosques and Muslim-owned properties." Subsequently, Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said OIC has made insensitive comments in the past too.
Do you know?
Just last year, OIC invited Sushma Swaraj as guest
OIC's stand sort of served as a roadblock to the progress India made in reaching out to the Middle East in the last couple of years. In March 2019, OIC invited late External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as a guest of honor.
Tweet
India is a friend, noted Zarif
While India hasn't commented on Zarif's tweet, it's likely that MEA will ask foreign countries to not speak on internal matters. New Delhi has stopped importing oil from Iran fearing sanctions from the US. However, work on the Chabahar port hasn't stopped. In his post, Zarif noted that India has been a "friend of Iran" hinting that he doesn't want ties to get soured.
Twitter Post
His tweet can be read here
Iran condemns the wave of organized violence against Indian Muslims.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) March 2, 2020
For centuries, Iran has been a friend of India. We urge Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of ALL Indians not let senseless thuggery prevail.
Path forward lies in peaceful dialogue and rule of law.