'We can't consider ourselves to be Muslims...': Iran's Khamenei clubs India with Gaza, Myanmar; India offers strong condemnation

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday kicked up a row, drawing a contentious comparison between India and Gaza. In a post on X, Khamenei called attention to the plight of Muslims in various regions, including India among countries where, according to him, Muslims were not safe.

In his tweet, Khamenei stated, "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." This statement not only links India with Gaza but also places it in the context of a broader Muslim suffering narrative.

Immediately after Khamenei's tweet, India's External Affairs ministry strongly condemned the statement. "We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others," the ministry said in a statement.

Khamenei's eyebrow raising comment, lumping India, a democracy with a solid rule of law, comes at a time when the Islamic regime in Iran has faced a mounting backlash over its repression of women, and for curbing freedom of speech, among other issues. 

Gaza, another focal point of Khamenei’s tweet, has been a subject of international scrutiny due to ongoing conflicts between Israel and Hamas. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, marked by severe restrictions and frequent clashes, has also garnered global attention and sympathy.