India hit again at Iran on Monday over feedback made by Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei concerning the South Asian nation’s alleged mistreatment of its Muslim minority.
In a quick put up to X on Monday, Khamenei mentioned, “We can’t take into account ourselves to be Muslims if we’re oblivious to the struggling {that a} Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or another place.”
Hours later, the Indian Ministry of Exterior Affairs issued an announcement the place it “strongly deplored” Khamenei’s remarks, describing them as “misinformed and unacceptable.”
“Nations commenting on minorities are suggested to have a look at their very own report earlier than making any observations about others,” the assertion continued.
The enemies of Islam have all the time tried to make us detached with regard to our shared identification as an Islamic Ummah. We can’t take into account ourselves to be Muslims if we’re oblivious to the struggling {that a} Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or another place.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) September 16, 2024
Iran has come beneath repeated criticism by rights teams over its remedy of ethnic minorities. Whereas Persians make up Iran’s largest ethnic group, dozens of different ethnic minority teams characterize almost 40% of the nation’s 80 million inhabitants. The principle minorities embrace Azeris, representing 16% of the inhabitants, Kurds (10%) and Lurs (6%), but in addition Baluchs, Arabs and Turkmens, in keeping with the London-based Minority Rights Group.
A number of rights teams, together with Amnesty Worldwide, accuse Iranian authorities of systemic discrimination and violence in opposition to minorities in Iran, stopping them entry to schooling, employment and housing. They’re additionally “subjected to arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, and torture and different ill-treatment,” Amnesty Worldwide wrote in its 2023 report on Iran.
Khamenei’s feedback coincided with the second anniversary of the demise in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, which prompted the nation-wide anti-regime protests in Iran.
India-Iran relations
Iran and India take pleasure in robust relations. The 2 nations signed in Could a deal to develop the Chabahar Port, situated in Iran’s southeast Sistan and Baluchistan province. Underneath the deal, India Ports International Restricted will make investments about $120 million to develop and function the port over 10 years.
India can be certainly one of Iran’s prime buying and selling companions, with bilateral commerce reaching $2.33 billion in 2023, in keeping with the Indian Embassy in Tehran.
Khamenei, for his half, has criticized India prior to now over its remedy of Muslims, together with within the Muslim-majority area of Kashmir.
In 2019, the Iranian chief known as on New Delhi to undertake a “simply coverage” towards the Muslims of Kashmir and “stop their oppression.”
