The 2022 Muhammad remarks row began on 27 May 2022, when Nupur Sharma, a spokeswoman of India's ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), made offensive remarks about the Islamic prophet Muhammad on a debate show, in reply to derogatory comments first made about the Hindu god Shiva by her on-panel Muslim adversary. Sharma's comment was in reference to an account from Sahih al-Bukhari that Muhammad (aged 53) married Aisha when she was six-years old, and the marriage was consummated when Aisha was nine. The controversy escalated on 1 June, when Naveen Kumar Jindal, the Delhi BJP media chief, made similar remarks on Twitter. By 4 June, the remarks had been widely shared on social media, and were trending among the top 10 hashtags in all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Turkey. On the contrary, they were defended by far-right politicians in Europe, like Geert Wilders, who cited Sharma's right to freedom of speech.
The comments were strongly condemned by Muslim nations. Within India, dozens of police cases were filed against Sharma and Jindal. In some parts of the country, protests turned violent, leading to several deaths and injuries. The violence in Uttar Pradesh led to the punitive demolition of homes of some accused rioters.
Several Arab countries, including allies and partners of India, issued strong condemnations and there were threats of boycotting Indian goods. The Indian government responded to the controversy, by stating that the remarks did not reflect the government's views, but rather came from "fringe elements". The BJP suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal from the party.
Background
The controversy emerged amid rising religious tensions in India. Some scholars have identified Hindutva, the ideological foundation of the ruling BJP, as a form of authoritarian populism that, according to critics, may contribute to the marginalization of minority communities. The BJP has been accused by some observers of using rhetoric that may contribute to communal tensions, particularly in relation to the country's Muslim population. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders have rejected these accusations, asserting that Hindu nationalism does not target or exclude any religious group, including India's large Muslim population.
In the lead-up to the controversy, communal tensions were further heightened by the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute. Historical sources suggest that the mosque was built during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and some accounts state that a pre-existing Shiva temple was demolished as part of its construction. Hindu groups maintain that a temple existed at the site before the mosque, whereas some Muslim representatives dispute this claim. However, the existence of an original Shiva temple is evident from the walls and temple complex which were never completely destroyed, instead, the mosque is built on the same pillars & foundation structure of the temple. The dispute has been widely covered in Indian media and has triggered contentious debates on television and social media platforms.
On 27 May 2022, Sharma participated in a debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute on the Times Now television channel. According to Sharma, in response to remarks (perceived to be derogatory to Hindu god Shiva) by her opposition speaker and by many Muslim personalities on social media, she replied regarding Muhammad and the age of one of his wives, Aisha, noting that Aisha was 6-years-old when married, and 9 when the marriage was consummated. However, she was merely quoting from the hadith.
A day later, the video clip of her comments were shared by Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, a fact-checking website, on social media. Sharma later alleged that it was a "heavily edited and selected video", which was denied by Pratik Sinha, the other co-founder of Alt News. Sinha stated that it was unedited and also included a longer clip which showed the context. Times Now deleted the video of the programme from its YouTube channel the next day. Nonetheless, Sharma defended her comments and accused Zubair of "heavily [editing]" the clip; she further claimed to have been receiving rape and death threats as a result, prompting Delhi Police to provide security cover. Alt News denied any responsibility for the reaction from the viewers after watching the video clip. BBC News refused to publish the remarks, citing their "offensive" nature.
Journalists note that Sharma has made similar comments on several TV shows. As of August 1, 2023, Alt News has not verified the Nupur Sharma's citation.
On 1 June, Naveen Kumar Jindal tweeted derogatory remarks about the Islamic prophet Muhammad. After the tweet attracted backlash in the Arab world, Jindal deleted the tweet and said he did not intend to demean any faith. Shoaib Daniyal from Scroll.in and Vir Sanghvi from Hindustan Times state that even though there is a history of intense sectarianism in Indian media debates, politicians at a senior level usually refrain from crossing the line of self-restraint and criticising gods, prophets, and religions in televised debates. Nupur Sharma's involvement in such criticism in a debate was unusual according to them.
Police cases
A police first information report (FIR) was registered against Sharma, in Mumbai's Pydhonie Police Station, on the next day. She was accused of "hurting religious sentiments". A second FIR was registered in Thane (a suburb of Mumbai) on 30 May on the same grounds. Another FIR was registered by the AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, in Hyderabad, for using “abusive, false and hurtful” words against Muhammad and the Islam religion. Several other FIRs were registered at other locations in the country.
Sharma's comments were also widely shared, internationally, on social media. By 4 June, "insult to Prophet Mohammed" was trending among the top 10 hashtags in all the countries of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Turkey.
On 9 June, 2 weeks after the speech and the diplomatic event, Delhi Police registered cases against BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, who served as the party's Delhi media cell head, who was expelled from BJP. The Delhi police have also filed a case against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Hindutva leader, Yati Narsinghanand, who is out on bail in the Haridwar hate speech case. Delhi Police has been accused of omnibus prosecution of many similar cases to make the original offence difficult to prosecute.
Protests and violence
Protests and violent incidents were reported from several Indian cities. In Uttar Pradesh, several people were injured in Kanpur and Prayagraj cities. According to the UP Police, a total of 136 people were arrested over the protests in the state.
Uttar Pradesh
On 3 June, hundreds of Muslims protested the remarks in Kanpur after Friday prayers.
Hayat Zafar Hashmi, chief of Maulana Mohammed Ali (MMA) Jauhar Fans Association called for a bandh (shutdown) of local shops in protest of comments from Sharma. They also planned to take out a procession. They forced the local shops to shut down at parade market after which the clash broke out between the business community and the protesters. Yogi Adityanath's government came down heavily on the protesters, lodging complaints and putting up posters against hundreds of protestors.
The clashes occurred at Nai Sadak, Yateemkana and Parade area of Kanpur. During the clashes, the groups threw bombs and stones on each other.
On 12 June, Reuters reported that the authorities in Uttar Pradesh had punitively demolished the homes of individuals accused of rioting in the state over the remarks. BBC reported as well.
Jharkhand
On 10 June, protests and human chain were organised in Ranchi against the controversial comments. According to the police the situation had escalated when a vehicle rammed into the group of protestors. Incidents of stone pelting was reported near the Hanuman temple, after which the Police attempted to disperse the crowds and used lathis, later on the police opened gunfire with live rounds. Two people died and more than 24 were injured. Both the dead had gunshot wounds on the head and neck.
The family of a victim, 15-year-old Mudassir Alam, said that he was shot in the head while standing on the street near the Hindu Shree Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. Three men had been firing gun shots and pelting stones at the protesters from the rooftop of the temple. Ranchi Deputy Commissioner said that the police fired after the mob turned violent and that the firing began from the mob. He did not clarify which mob he referred to and said the investigation is ongoing. CNN reviewed the video from the incident which showed the police firing indiscriminately on the unarmed protestors. A video from inside the temple showed the protestors throwing stones at the temple.
On 11 June, some Hindutva groups in Ranchi called for shutdown of shops in the city.
West Bengal
On 10 June, in different parts of Howrah district, arson and violence in protest was reported after Friday Muslim prayers. Railway tracks and highways were blocked by the protestors, causing hours of interruption of traffic. The situation later came under control, after police managed to clear the blockade. Internet services were also suspended in the district.
Maharashtra
On 13 June, Saad Ansari, a Muslim youth was assaulted by a Muslim mob in Bhiwandi, Thane over a social media post allegedly supporting Nupur Sharma. In his Instagram, Ansari had written, "A 50-year-old man marrying a 6-9-year-old girl is clearly child abuse. People do not know how to support him. Would you give your 6-year-old daughter to a 50-year-old man (think about it.)". Ansari was later arrested by the police for his post.
On the night of 21 June 2022, Umesh Kolhe, a chemist in Amravati, was murdered while returning from his shop riding a scooter. He was assaulted with a sharp weapon by three bike-borne attackers, who slit his throat in the presence of his son and daughter-in-law. Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder. According to the police, the accused had committed the murder since Kolhe shared posts on WhatsApp groups, supporting Nupur Sharma.
Udaipur
In Udaipur, Rajasthan a tailor Kanhaiya Lal posted remarks on social media in support of Nupur Sharma. Police complaint was filed against him and he was arrested. Police-mediated sessions were held between Lal and the complainants after which Lal gave a written assurance that he did not require further assistance from the police. Later he received death threats and informed the police.
On 28 June, Lal was killed by two Muslim men who subsequently shared a video of them carrying out the murder. In a second video uploaded by them the two men admitted the murder and showed the cleavers they had used. In the video, they also threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both the accused tried to abscond the city on a motorbike but were arrested by the police within hours on the same day. Later five more men were detained.
After the incident, curfew was imposed in some parts of the city and internet services to the state were suspended for a day. Large gathering of people were banned for a month. Additional police force was sent for maintenance of law and order. The Rajasthan government announced a compensation of ₹31 lakh (US$33,000) for the family of the deceased and government jobs for both his sons.
The assailants were identified as Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammad. It was reported that Attari may have been planning to infiltrate the BJP through its loyalists, after photos of Attari attending BJP functions surfaced. In a 2020 post on Facebook, Attari had been described by a local Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader as a "dedicated worker of the BJP". On 2 July 2022, the Indian National Congress, the largest opposition party in India, alleged that Attari was a BJP member, using the social media pictures.
Kabul
On 18 June, militants carried out a terrorist attack at a Sikh gurdwara in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The assailants killed a Taliban security officer before they entered the gurdwara with grenades and firearms and killed a Sikh worshipper and injuring seven others. The Khorasan Province of the Islamic State claimed responsibility via the Amaq News Agency, asserting it had been done as "an act of revenge" for the BJP official's remarks.
International reactions
Several countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a body of 57 countries, officially condemned remarks made by BJP leaders. Qatar, Kuwait and Iran summoned India's envoy to register their protest and handed them protest notes while Pakistan issued a demarche to the Indian charge d'affaires. There have been calls for boycott of Indian products in many countries of the Middle East.
Qatar
The Prime Minister of Qatar discussed the issue in the Qatari Cabinet's regular meeting. In a statement outlining the meeting, Qatar stated that the Cabinet underscored Qatar's condemnation and denunciation of the remarks made by an official in India's ruling party against Muhammad, which "constitute a grave insult to Islam, a violation of its sanctities, and a provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world, and completely contradict the values of tolerance, coexistence and civilized behavior".