In response to “offensive” statements to the Prophet Muhammad made by officials in the ruling party in India, a major food store in Kuwait removed Indian goods from its shelves.
This comes after “offensive” statements to the Prophet Muhammad made by Nupur Sharma, spokeswoman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India, and her colleague Navin Kumar Jindal, who is responsible for the party’s media unit, sparked widespread anger among Muslims and international reactions.
In protest against these statements, the “Al-Ardiya Co-operative” Society in southwest Kuwait City removed Indian goods from its shelves.
An official in the Union of Cooperative Societies, the largest chain of food stores in Kuwait, stated that a discussion is taking place about the adoption of the boycott in all branches.
And “AFP” quoted the director of the Ardiya Cooperative Society, Nasser Al-Mutairi, as saying: “We boycotted Indian products because of insulting the Prophet. We, as a Kuwaiti and Muslim people, do not accept insulting the Messenger.”
Mutlaq Rashid, one of the cooperative’s customers, explained to the agency, “The boycott of India is something that is obligatory for every Muslim and every country… All Islamic countries and all individuals must boycott all Indian goods.”
On Sunday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India announced the suspension of the party’s spokeswoman, Noupur Sharma, and the expulsion of her colleague, Navin Kumar Jindal, who is in charge of the party’s media unit, after insulting comments about the Prophet Muhammad, which sparked widespread anger.
The NDTV channel reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party had issued orders to suspend the work of the party’s spokeswoman, Nupur Sharma, pending the results of the investigation, and to expel Naveen Kumar Jindal, who is in charge of the party’s media unit.