New Delhi: Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said the controversy around the derogatory references to Prophet Muhammad is New Delhi’s internal matter and added the government in Dhaka need not respond to it.
“First of all, this is an external issue (for Bangladesh). This is the issue of India, not of Bangladesh. We don’t have to say anything,” The Indian Express quoted Dr Mahmud as saying in Dhaka earlier on Saturday at an informal interaction with a group of visiting journalists from the Indian news organisations.
Nonetheless, Dr Mahmud congratulated the Indian authorities for having taken action in the matter and categorically stated that he would not “ignite” the issue further.
Responding to a poser on Bangladesh’s silence on the row when over a dozen Muslim nations and the 57-country Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have protested or issued statements of condemnation, Dr Mahmud said: “We are not compromised in any way at all. We strongly condemn any insult to the Holy Prophet whenever and wherever it happens.”
“But the Government of India has taken action, and we thank them for it. We congratulate the Government of India. Now the law will take its course,” he added.
Asserting the insult to the Prophet is not much of an issue in Bangladesh, Dr Mahmud said: “So why should I instigate, why should I ignite the issue? Has it not got enough attention (already)? My job is not to ignite.”
Earlier on Friday, Dhaka witnessed some protests by Muslim groups, including one outside the city’s main mosque.
The Opposition parties and Islamist groups in Bangladesh have lambasted their government’s failure to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in New Delhi.
Dhaka has, however, remained firm on its refusal to be provoked.
Dr Mahmud, who is also a senior office-bearer of the ruling Awami League, warned in a party meeting in Gaibandha in northern Bangladesh that strict action would be taken against anyone creating “unnecessary confusion or incitement”.
“We do not tolerate offending any religion and if anyone tries to create chaos in this country over the incidents of other countries, it will be controlled with iron hands,” The Daily Star quoted the Information and Broadcasting Minister as having said.
The row over the remarks against Prophet Muhammad escalated with protests from nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran.
This prompted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India to suspend its spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expel Naveen Jindal, the party’s former Delhi unit media chief.
The BJP while initiating action against the duo emphasized it respects all religions.