Islamists on social media suffered a meltdown after Saudi Arabia facilitated Union Minister of India Smriti Irani on her visit to Madinah, one of the holiest cities for followers of Islam, where she also visited the periphery of the Quba mosque—the first mosque of Islam. Medina or Madinah, is the second holiest city in Islam, celebrated by Muslims as a place from where Muhammad established the Muslim community (ummah) after his flight from Mecca (622 CE) and is where his body is entombed.
A delegation led by Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs Smriti Irani and Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan Monday, visited the city of Madinah, marking a ‘historic’ moment on their visit to Saudi Arabia.
Two days prior, a bilateral agreement between India and Saudi Arabia was formally signed, designating New Delhi a quota of 175,025 pilgrims for the annual Haj pilgrimage scheduled for this year. The agreement, known as the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024, was officially inked in Jeddah with Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah.
As outlined in a press release, the delegation embarked on a visit to the perimeter of the Prophet’s Mosque (Al Masjid Al Nabwi) located in the Markazia area of Madinah. Subsequently, the delegation toured the historic sites, including the mountain of Uhud and the Quba Mosque. Notably, the Quba Mosque holds significance as the first Mosque of Islam, while the Uhud Mountain serves as the final resting place for numerous early Islamic martyrs.
Smriti Irani took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share about her visit to Madinah. “Undertook a historic journey to Madinah today, one of Islam’s holiest cities included a visit to the periphery of the revered Prophet’s Mosque, Al Masjid Al Nabwi, the mountain of Uhud, and periphery of the Quba Mosque – the first Mosque of Islam,” she tweeted.
Undertook a historic journey to Madinah today, one of Islam's holiest cities included a visit to the periphery of the revered Prophet's Mosque, Al Masjid Al Nabwi, the mountain of Uhud, and periphery of the Quba Mosque – the first Mosque of Islam. The significance of the visit to… pic.twitter.com/WgbUJeJTLv
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) January 8, 2024
However, Irani’s visit did not sit well with Muslim fundamentalists on social media, many of whom were shocked to see a Hindu woman with no headgear in the vicinity of the Prophet’s mosque, Al Masjid Al Nabwi. Shortly after her visit to the mosque, a bevvy of scandalised Islamists descended on her X timeline, outraging over how a Hindu and an uncovered woman was allowed in the periphery of one of the holiest shrines of Islam.
Islamists suffer a meltdown after Smriti Irani visits Prophet’s mosque in Madinah
“Why are you allowing mushrikeen till the periphery of our sanctuary?” tweeted one Islamist, outraged with Smriti Irani’s visit to Madinah.
.@KingSalman why don’t you leave the haramain alone?
— تاب سخن (@taab_e_sukhan) January 8, 2024
You can progress as a much as you want in the rest of KSA.
Makkah mukarramah & Madina Munawwarah are the most sacred places for the followers of رسول الله ﷺ
Why are you allowing mushrikeen till the periphery of our sanctuary?
In Islam, the terms “Mushrik” and “Mushrikeen” refer to persons who practice Shirk, which is the act of worshipping many gods, idolatry, or in essence, polytheism. In Islamic theology, monotheism (Tawhid) is a fundamental concept, which emphasises the absolute oneness of Allah. Muslims believe in the uniqueness and oneness of Allah’s divine attributes, and anyone believing otherwise or having faith in other gods is treated as a ‘kafir’ of idol-worshipper and worthy of the strictest punishment, which according to Islamic scriptures is death.
“Oh followers of shaytan you made a grave mistake by letting filthy najs mushrik in the land of our Beloved master messenger of the Lord of Heavens and earth,” tweeted another user, a Muslim fundamentalist, who also threatened with “Allah will provide justice for this treachery.”
Oh followers of shaytan you made a grave mistake by letting filthy najs mushrik in the land of our Beloved master messenger of the Lord of Heavens and earth ﷺ. Only Allah swt will provide you justice for this treachery. We left this matter to most Just swt
— Hassan (@H_khxy) January 8, 2024
“What is a Hindu politician from India doing in Medina?” said another rabid Muslim extremist, adding, “The Prophet ﷺ explicitly forbade the presence of idol worshippers in the Hejaz region.”
What is a Hindu politician from India doing in Medina? Let alone a BJP politician which is known for promoting Hindutva ideology?
— OJ Smoke (@OJ_Smoke_) January 8, 2024
The Prophet ﷺ explicitly forbade the presence of idol worshippers in the Hejaz region.
The Two Holy Cities are for Muslims alone. No one else. https://t.co/DPWBYNnEhu
It is deeply ironic that Islamists, who are outraged over the visit of Smriti Irani’s visit to the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah on account of her being a Hindu, hurl labels of ‘Islamophobia’ when non-Muslims institute similar measures and restrict entries of Muslims in and around places of their worship. It is worth noting that Irani didn’t even enter the Prophet’s mosque and had visited only its periphery. Yet, Islamists suffered a meltdown over it.
Such shameless display of irony is a hallmark of Islamists, most notably illustrated in the Islamist position on Palestine vis-a-vis their stance on Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The Islamists dehumanise Israelis as “occupiers” to legitimise baseless Palestinian claims over Israeli lands, but the same logic does not extend to the Ram Mandir, which they vehemently oppose citing the erstwhile Babri edifice, even though it was built upon a preexisting temple by a Mughal invader.
