Skip to main content

Saudi scholar's visit: BJP 'shows concern' for need to mollify opinion in Islamic world

By Abhay Kumar* 

Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Muslim World League’s (MWL), secretary general and former minister of Saudi Arabia, recently visited India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also gave a talk on diversity and pluralism in New Delhi. The Saudi scholar is considered a moderate voice and a supporter of reforms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ahead of the General Elections 2024, his visit is quite significant.
Al-Issa spoke at New Delhi’s India Islamic Cultural Centre. The talk was attended by hundreds of people, including Muslim religious leaders and the stage was shared by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Although the function was formally organised by the Khusro Foundation, the main planning of his visit was prepared by the establishment.
By inviting MWL chief Al-Issa, the Modi Government has tried to seek a certificate of legitimacy from the Saudi regime. Saudi Arabia, as the custodian of the two holy mosques, occupies a unique place in the heart of Indian Muslims, particularly Sunni Muslims, who revere the Arab peninsula as the birthplace of Islam.
Addressing the meeting, the Saudi scholar underscored the Islamic principle of coexistence. He also spoke about the importance of diversity and the need to achieve an understanding among faiths. Highlighting the commonalities between Islam and Hinduism, he appreciated India for its diversity.
By highlighting the plural nature of Indian society, the Saudi leader was affirming his policies for Saudi society. Moreover, he understands the importance of India as a major country in South Asia and home to a large Muslim population. He knows very well that a large share of the workforce living in Saudi Arabic is recruited from India.
His positive remarks about India are the manifestation of the growing bilateral ties between India and Saudi Arabia. In the last two decades, both countries have signed several agreements and taken their relationship to the strategic level. In those years, the top leadership made official visits.
For example, King Abdullah made a historic visit to India in 2006 and signed the Del- hi Declaration. Four years later, then- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a reciprocal visit and forged a strategic partnership with the Kingdom. In 2014, crown prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al- Saud, who is now the de facto king, visited India. Two years later, Prime Minister Modi went to Saudi Arabia where he was honoured with the highest civilian award.
Three years later, crown prince Mohammad bin Salman visited India and declared that approximately US$100 would be invested in India. Six MoUs and agreements were also inked. In October 2019, Prime Minister Modi made another visit to Riyadh and signed the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) Agreement.
Twelve MoUs and agreements -- in the field of security, civil aviation, small and medium-scale industries, medical products, energy, de- fence production, strategic petroleum reserves, and training of diplomats -- were inked.
Historically speaking, the history of India and Arabs goes much beyond the coming of Mohammad ibn Qasim, the Arab general who led his army towards Sindh in the early decades of the 8th century. Before Qasim, the Arabs had trade and cultural ties with Indians. Since ancient times, the Arabs have been interacting with the Indians through trade and commerce.
The trade also allowed Arabs and Indians to learn about each other’s cultures. Gradually, the process of inter-dining, inter- marriage, settlement and resettlement started, contributing to the evolution of a composite culture.
The importance of Saudi Arabia lies in the economic field as India is heavily dependent on it for oil. A recent figure shows that India gets 22% of its total crude oil imported from Saudi Arabia. Over 25 lakh Indians, which constitutes around 7.5% of the Saudi population, work there and send a huge amount of money back home. Note that India is counted as the world’s largest receiver of remittances, which total up to over $80 billion a year.
The five Gulf countries contribute more than half of it. Saudi Arabia is the second largest contributor (11.6%), followed by UAE (26.9%) among the Gulf countries. Sau- di Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner.
In his speech, Ajit Doval stated the official position and praised Islam for its values and its positive role in society. As he put it:
“Islam occupies a significant position of pride with India being home to the second-largest Muslim population in the world. The Indian Muslim population is about the same as the combined population of more than 33 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It was only by being open to accommodating various world views and ideas, interactions and assimilations of various cultures, beliefs and practices that India emerged as a sanctuary for persecuted people of all faiths from all across the world”.

Apart from economic interests, Doval’s statement is aimed at pacifying Muslims. Such an outreach exercise has to do with the current dilemma in which the ruling BJP finds itself caught. While it is compelled to keep the flame of anti- Muslim discourse ablaze to consolidate the voters on religious grounds, it is also aware of the fact that such divisive politics has angered the Muslim world.
For example, the Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya made a highly condemnable statement a few years back that “95 per- cent of Arab women never had orgasms in the last few hundred years”. His statement sparked strong reactions from the Arab world.
Last year BJP leader Nupur Sharma made a highly objectionable statement about Prophet Mohammad, pushing the country into the furnace of communal tension. Her statement was condemned by Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran and Oman, Pakistan and the OIC.
While the BJP cannot isolate them for electoral compulsion, it is concerned about the damage caused by the hate speech. A few days after Doval’s positive statement about Islam and his outreach to the Muslim community, the chief minister of BJP-ruled Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, who sits on a Constitutional post, made a hateful speech against Bengali Muslims for allegedly selling vegetables for a high price. Such a development is a pointer to the limitation of such outreach exercise.
---
*Delhi-based journalist. A version of this article was first published in News Trail, Bangalore

Comments

TRENDING

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

Biden urged to warn Modi: US can declare India as worst religious freedom offender

By Our Representative  During a Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Nadine Maenza, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has wondered why the Biden administration should raise issues of mass anti-minority mob violence  -- particularly in Haryana and Manipur -- with Modi. Modi should be told that if such violence continues, the US will be “compelled by law” to designate India as one of the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom, she urged.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Evading primary responsibility, ONGC decides to invest Rs 15,000 crore in sick subsidiary

By NS Venkataraman*  It is reported that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will infuse about Rs 15,000 crore in ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OPaL) as part of a financial restructuring exercise. ONGC currently holds 49.36 per cent stake in (OPaL), which operates a mega petrochemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat. GAIL (India) Ltd has 49.21 per cent interest and Gujarat State Petrochemical Corporation (GSPC) has the remaining 1.43 per cent.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Sales, profits of Indian firms 'deteriorate', yet no significant increase in cost pressures

By Our Representative  The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), a monthly exercise, has said that while cost perceptions data does not indicate significant increase of cost pressures, sales and profits of the Indian firms have deteriorated.

'State-sanctioned terror': Stop drone attack on Adivasis, urge over 80 world academics

Counterview Desk  A joint statement, “Indigenous Peoples’ Un-Freedoms and Our Academic Freedom: A Call for Solidarity”, endorsed by over 80 signatories, including international academics, activists and civil society organizations, as well as diasporic Indian academics and researchers, working with Adivasi (indigenous) communities in India, has made an urgent appeal to prevent future drone bomb attacks by the Indian state on Adivasi villages.