‘Discrimination Against Our Moral Fabric,’ Tweets Indian Ambassador to UAE Amid Backlash on Islamophobic Posts In India

Dubai: Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Pavan Kapoor on Monday said both countries share the value of non-discrimination. His tweet came amidst furore by social media users criticising Islamophobic comments by Indian accounts.

“India and UAE share the value of non-discrimination on any grounds. Discrimination is against our moral fabric and the rule of law,” said Kapoor.

Further warning Indians living in Gulf nations, he added, “Indian nationals in the UAE should always remember this.”

The response came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet said, “Covid-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood.”

These responses came after a backlash in Gulf nations over several Islamophobic social media posts in which users have criticised Muslims living in India for spreading the coronavirus. Some of the posts even called for an economic boycott of Muslims as incidents of widespread harassment of Muslim vendors amid the nationwide lockdown are already being reported.

Responding to the development, a number of Twitter users in Arab nations, including a member of the UAE's royal family, expressed their dismay at the ill-treatment of Muslims in India. Last week, Princess Hend Al Qassimi, a member of the UAE royal family, warned that “anyone that is openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave the country”

This sudden surge of tweets critical of Muslims was witnessed after a religious congregation hosted by the Tablighi Jamaat in the national capital in March. Earlier this month, the Indian government had acknowledged that certain communities are being vilified based on false reports on social media after which an advisory was issued to address the social stigma and discrimination surrounding the pandemic.