On 5th June 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar summoned the Indian ambassador to Qatar to officially condemn the comments by BJP spokespersons on Prophet Muhammad. The statement added that the Qatar government welcomes the statement issued by BJP distancing itself from the comments and suspending the leaders who had made comments on the Prophet.
However, this stand of the Qatar government against blasphemy has reminded netizens of Qatar granting citizenship to India’s controversial painter MF Hussain after he painted nude paintings of Hindu Goddesses. Reminding people of Qatar’s double standards, comedian Nitin Gupta tweeted, “MF Hussain made nude paintings of Hindu Goddesses. Qatar granted him citizenship. Nupur Sharma quoted facts about Muhammad from Hadith. Vishwagurus bent over backward to appease Qatar!”
MF Hussain was in the middle of a controversy in February 2006 when he was charged with hurting the sentiments of Hindus because of his nude paintings of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. He had also made one obscene painting of Bharat Mata (Mother India). As the controversy gained momentum, more and more cases were filed against him. MF Hussain, afraid of the prosecution, fled away to Qatar in 2006. In 2010, he surrendered his Indian passport and was granted citizenship of Qatar where he went on to paint the history of Arabs as ordered by the Queen of Qatar.
Qatar is among the hardest places in the world to become a citizen with even people living there for decades not eligible for citizenship in most cases. However, the rules were relaxed for Hussain as he received his citizenship in 2010.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Qatar has responded to this statement by Qatar’s foreign ministry, confirming that the Ambassador had a meeting in the Foreign Office in which concerns were raised with regard to some offensive tweets by individuals in India denigrating the religious personality.
“The tweets do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India. These are the views of fringe elements,” the Ambassador told the Foreign Ministry of Qatar. The Embassy further added that vested interests that are against India – Qatar relations are inciting people using those comments.