2022 Muhammad remarks controversy

Protests against the remarks by the Muslim community of Kolkata, West Bengal

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 remarks about the Islamic prophet Muhammad in reply to remarks on the Hindu god Shiva, on a Times Now debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute, which sparked controversy.[1] 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.[2][3][4] 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 right-wing politicians in Europe, like Geert Wilders, who cited Sharma's right to freedom of speech.

The comments were strongly condemned by Muslim nations.[1] Within India, dozens of police cases were filed against Sharma and Jindal.[5] 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.[6]

This article is of a series on
Criticism of religion
By religion
By religious figure
By text
Religious violence
Bibliographies
Related topics

Several Gulf 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".[7] BJP suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal from the party.[8]

  1. ^ a b Saaliq, Sheikh (6 June 2022). "Muslim nations slam India over insulting remarks about Islam". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  2. ^ Jamil, Nabeela (6 June 2022). "Why the debate around the age of Aisha, the Prophet's wife, is irrelevant". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  3. ^ "'This is 100% true': Saudi Islamic scholar confirms Nupur Sharma's remarks about Muhammad". NewsBharati. 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Nupur Sharma Only Stated What is Written in Hadith; Why Are Muslims So Upset? - Arshad Alam, New Age Islam - Islamic News and Views - Moderate Muslims & Islam". New Age Islam. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Nupur Sharma Statement: Remarks against Prophet; BJP acts against 2 office-bearers Nupur Sharma and Naveen Zindal; Latest developments". The Times of India. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).