Hindu Extremist Insults Quran during Protests in S India
The offensive remarks were made by Keshav Murthi, leader of a Hindutva unit affiliated to the Hindu Jagaran Vedike, according to Siasat Daily.
“Quran is a criminal book. It orders killing people by stoning and beheading. All of them who read the Quran have become terrorists,” alleged Murthi.
Islamophobic remarks have increased in India especially after two Muslims were arrested in Udaipur in the western state of Rajasthan for allegedly beheading a Hindu tailor over his support online for a former ruling party official whose remarks about Prophet Muhammad sparked global protests.
Kanhaiya Lal was stabbed multiple times inside his tailoring shop on Tuesday by the two cleaver-wielding men who also filmed the attack. The duo accused Lal of blasphemy in the video.
Tensions erupted in India after Nurpur Sharma, a now-suspended spokesperson of the ruling BJP party, made inflammatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad on a TV program.
Her statements were widely condemned by Muslims inside and outside India as several countries summons Indian ambassadors, asking New Delhi to offer an official apology.
Sharma’s remarks forced the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into damage control. The party suspended her and issued a rare statement, insisting it respected all religions.
Since coming to power nationally in 2014, the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of pursuing discriminatory policies against Muslims, who form nearly 14 percent of India’s 1.35 billion population.
