MEA ‘strongly’ deplores Ayatollah Khamenei’s remark on Indian Muslims

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader

India on Monday “strongly” deplored Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comment on the condition of the Muslim community in India. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the remark as “unacceptable”. Mr. Khamenei had on Monday included India alongside Gaza and Myanmar as one of the places where Muslims were suffering.

“We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others,” the MEA said in a response.

“We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in Myanmar, Gaza, India, or any other place,” Mr. Khamenei had said in a message posted on social media that was also translated to the Bengali.

“The concept of an ‘Islamic Ummah’ must never be forgotten,” he said, speaking for unity between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam on the occasion of the Islamic Unity Week, when he met with leaders of Iran’s Sunni community, and praised their contribution to Iranian society.