Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record, says MEA
Reacting sharply to a comment by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about Muslims suffering in countries like India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected it as “misinformed and unacceptable”. A statement issued by the MEA on Monday (September 16, 2024) said India strongly deplored the comments.

While it did not name any nation specifically, the MEA in its statement also advised countries commenting on minorities to look at their own record. 

The strong reaction came after Iran’s Supreme Leader made a comment about the “suffering” that Muslims are enduring in Myanmar, Gaza, and India. The Ayatollah, however, did not detail any reasons for this comment. 
 
“We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable," the MEA stated. "Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others," the MEA added.

Earlier in the day, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei had made his views known through social media.

“The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place,” he posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The comment was part of a series of posts after he met Sunni scholars and elders on the occasion of Islamic Unity Week in Tehran on Monday.