UAE joins list of Islamic nations condemning Nupur Sharma's controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday joined the list of Islamic nations that condemned former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) expressed denunciation and rejection of insults of founder of Islam.

"The Ministry underscored the need to respect religious symbols and not violate them, as well as confront hate speech and violence. The Ministry also noted the importance of strengthening the shared international responsibility to spread the values of tolerance and human coexistence while preventing any practices that would inflame the sentiment of followers of different religions," read the statement.

Apart from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Afghanistan also today joined several Muslim nations to condemn the controversial remarks of Sharma.

Besides, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina also condemned the "insulting statements" made by the spokesperson of the BJP against the Prophet.

Earlier on Sunday, the BJP suspended Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against the Prophet.

Amid protests by Muslim groups over the remarks, the party also issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces the insult of any religious personality.