Iran’s Khamenei compares ‘suffering’ of Indian Muslims to Gaza residents; India rebukes, urges ‘Look at own record’

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compared the “sufferings” of Indian Muslims to the residents of Gaza on a X post. Following this Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre issued an officials statement condemning the statement branding it as "unacceptable", and urged Iran's Supreme Leader to look at the country's ‘own record’.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the foreign ministry said, “We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran.”

The ministry also advised nations that critique minority treatment to first examine their own records. "Countries that comment on minority issues should reflect on their own practices before criticizing others," the MEA stated.

What Iran's Supreme Leader said?

Earlier on Monday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei commented on the “suffering” of Muslims in Gaza, and Myanmar in a message promoting global Muslim solidarity.

In the same message on Prophet Mohammed’s birth anniversary, he also mentioned India. In his statement posted on X, Khamenei did not provide specific reasons for mentioning India’s Muslim minority.

“The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. 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.” Khamenei had written.

"The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah," he added.

He added, “Today, it is definitely our duty to support the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. Anyone who neglects this duty will surely be questioned by God.”

Earlier, Khamenei had addressed the status of India's Muslim minority on social media. In August 2019, he expressed concern over the Indian government's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status, highlighting the plight of Muslims in the region. 

In a Twitter post, Khamenei urged India to adopt a fair policy towards Kashmir's residents, emphasizing the need to prevent oppression and bullying of Muslims despite maintaining good relations with India.

“We’re concerned about Muslims’ situation in #Kashmir. We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indian government to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir and prevent the oppression & bullying of Muslims in this region,” he had said in his post.