India condemns Khamenei’s ‘suffering of Muslims’ remark: Look at your record

India on Monday issued a sharp rebuke to comments made by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regarding the alleged suffering of Muslims in India. The remarks were made by Khamenei on the occasion of Prophet Mohammed’s birth anniversary and highlighted the ‘suffering’ of Muslim communities worldwide, including those in India, Gaza, and Myanmar.
“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,” the Iranian leader said in his post on X.
In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) firmly rejected the comments, describing them as “misinformed and unacceptable”.
“We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable,” the MEA’s official statement read.
The ministry further advised nations making critical remarks on minority treatment to first examine their own human rights records before casting judgment. “Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others,” the statement concluded.
Notably, Khamenei’s remarks came on the day when thousands of women in Iran took to the streets without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, to mark the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death.
Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died on September 16, 2022, in a hospital following her arrest by Iran’s morality police. She was detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities.
India and Iran share strong bilateral relations, with no significant disruptions in recent times. A key element of this partnership is India’s involvement in the strategic Chabahar port, where a terminal is operated by an Indian state-run company.
In May, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar visited Iran to attend an official ceremony paying condolences following the deaths of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and former Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Even in July, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, held in Tehran.