"India Heaven For Muslims": Union Minister On Islamic Group's Remarks

India is heaven for Muslims and their social, economic and religious rights are secure, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today, in response to a statement by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on what it called "Islamophobia" in the country.

"India's Muslims are prosperous. Those trying to vitiate the atmosphere can't be their friends," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was quoted as telling Press Trust of India.

"The constitutional, social and religious rights of all the citizens including minorities is India's constitutional and moral guarantee," he said.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had in a statement on Sunday urged India to take "urgent steps" to protect the rights of Muslims and stop the incidents of "Islamophobia" in the country.

1/2 #OIC-IPHRC condemns the unrelenting vicious #Islamophobic campaign in #India maligning Muslims for spread of #COVID-19 as well as their negative profiling in media subjecting them to discrimination & violence with impunity.

— OIC-IPHRC (@OIC_IPHRC) April 19, 2020

In tweets, OIC's Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission also said the Indian media was negatively profiling the Muslims and subjecting them to discrimination.

1/2 #OIC-IPHRC condemns the unrelenting vicious #Islamophobic campaign in #India maligning Muslims for spread of #COVID-19 as well as their negative profiling in media subjecting them to discrimination & violence with impunity.

— OIC-IPHRC (@OIC_IPHRC) April 19, 2020

Asked about the OIC criticism, Mr Naqvi said, "We are doing our job with conviction. The prime minister whenever he speaks, he talks about the rights and welfare of 130 crore Indians. If some cannot see this, then it is their problem."

The minister remarked that "secularism and harmony" was not "political fashion but perfect passion" for India and Indians.

"Traditional and professional bogus bashing brigades are still active in the conspiracy to spread misinformation. We should remain cautious of such evil forces and we need to work united to defeat their nefarious misinformation propaganda," said Mr Naqvi, the only Muslim minister at the centre. 

The government had earlier hit out at the 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations, saying it should not make irresponsible statements.

The row follows posts on social media over a Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi last month, which emerged as a super-spreader of coronavirus with thousands of cases across the country linked to its members.

The Islamic sect was accused of violating social distancing guidelines and ignoring all caution by organizing the gathering of 9,000 at their centre in Delhi, Markaz Nizamuddin. As states tracked down Tablighi members in their fight to control the infection, there was a spurt in hate posts on social media.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday criticized any form of discrimination, saying the COVID-19 pandemic affects everyone equally. "COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or border before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood," the PM had said in a post on LinkedIn.