Remarks On Muslim Rights By Former US President Barack Obama Causes Uproar In India

Former US President Barack Obama has come under fire from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders over recent comments he made about Muslims in India.

Obama warned that if minorities’ rights weren’t upheld, India might “start pulling apart” in a recent interview. He was responding to a query about how President Joe Biden ought to interact with “illiberal Democrats”.

The moment was when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to the US.

A formal greeting to the White House, a sumptuous state supper, and the signing of many significant agreements all served to highlight the three-day visit. Additionally, Modi spoke before a joint meeting of the US Congress.

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that aired before his address to Congress, Obama made certain comments that were widely publicized in India.

Amanpour pointed to the “threat to democracy” posed by so-called “illiberal democrats” before identifying Modi as one of them.

“How should a president engage with those kinds of leaders, either in the naming of them or in the dealing with them?” she asked.

It was “complicated,” Obama added, before talking about his own experience dealing with partners with whom he had to retain relations for a variety of reasons even though their governments may not have been “ideally democratic.” He continued by saying that it was “appropriate” for the US president to speak out against “trends that are troubling” whenever feasible, whether in public or privately.

“If the president meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India – that’s something worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart,” he said, adding that that would be contrary to India’s interests.

Obama shared a warm relationship with Modi while in office.

Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters on Sunday that she was “shocked” by Obama’s comments.

“When Mr Modi was campaigning in the US – and by campaigning I mean speaking about India – a former US president was speaking about Indian Muslims.”

She continued, “There too we get remarks about religious tolerance in India,” even though India wished to have excellent relations with the US.

While Mr. Obama was president, the US bombed several nations with a majority of Muslims, including Syria and Yemen, Ms. Sitharaman continued.

Obama and the US have not responded to these comments in the media.

Business executives and members of the sizable and powerful Indian diaspora, which includes many Silicon Valley CEOs, gave Modi a warm welcome when he arrived in the US. However, there were also demonstrations against his administration, which is run by the Hindu nationalist BJP and has come under fire for not doing enough to safeguard minorities from discrimination and violence.

75 Democrats urged Biden in a letter during his visit to bring up the subject of human rights with Modi. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among those who abstained from his speech to Congress.

When asked about the rights of Muslims and other minorities in India at a press conference with Biden, Modi added that his administration has “no space for any discrimination.”

Modi agreed with Biden’s comments that the partnership between the two nations is among “the most consequential in the world” in a tweet on Sunday.