India is facing major diplomatic and domestic trouble, after a spokeswoman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nupur Sharma, made controversial comments about the Prophet Muhammad's private life during a recent TV debate.

Her comments sparked protests by the country’s Muslim minority and has caused a several countries in the Muslim world to condemn the remarks and register official protests. Some are demanding an apology from the government.

The BJP suspended Sharma from the party, and expelled another member for sharing screenshots of the offensive comment in a tweet.

The controversy has been seen as another instance of alleged Islamophobia.

The Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the remarks, saying they are part of “a growing spate of hatred and defamation of Islam in India and systematic practices against Indian Muslims.”

Islamophobia in India

Reported incidents of anti-Muslim rhetoric and activities have seen a major surge in India.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, in April 2020, allegations began to spread about a meeting of thousands of Muslim preachers from home and abroad sparking a cluster of COVID-19 cases, the BBC reports.

Islamophobic memes and hashtags trended on social media blaming the group for spreading the virus, while news networks broadcasted headlines like “Save the country from Corona jihad.”

A report from research firm Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation found digital and social media platforms helped spread anti-Muslim hate online.

The report documents how the Hindutva movement, a form of Hindu nationalism bordering on supremacism, uses social media spaces to accelerate hate and disinformation about Muslims online.

Along with memes linking COVID-19 with the Muslim minority, research found that online, people used the hashtag #LoveJihad to forward a conspiracy that falsely claims Muslim men attempt to “lure” Hindu women into marriage in order to convert them.

NDTV, an Indian news broadcaster, released a report on “VIP" hate speech in January, using its own tracking of offensive statements by major Indian lawmakers. It found hate speech had surged 1,130 percent since Narendra Modi and his BJP government came to power in 2014.

In January, video leaked of a right-wing Hindu politician appearing to call for the genocide of Muslims in the nation.

Earlier this year, students wearing hijabs were barred from entering government-run schools in Karnataka. This triggered protests by Muslims who said they were being deprived of their rights to education. Under legal challenge, an Indian court upheld the ban, but an appeal now awaits a final verdict by India's Supreme Court.

In 2019, India passed a law that granted citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who prior to 2015 had fled Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan -- all Muslim-majority countries.

The move sparked anti-government protests. Critics blasted the rules, saying Modi’s government issued the new law to favor its hardline Hindu supporters.

Now, India is scrambling to mend ties with Muslim countries. Last month, the BJP launched an initiative “Know BJP,” aimed at foreign diplomats, stressing that the economy, and not religion, is the focus of the party.

The Hindu nationalist party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), closely affiliated with the BJP, is also asking members and affiliates to crack down on hate speech and stop excavations at mosques.

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