Days after Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar rejected the malicious anti-India propaganda peddled by a few social media users, Kuwait has also rallied behind the New Delhi, assuring that they are deeply committed to their friendly ties with India.
“We have seen some references to India in the non-official social media in Kuwait. The government of Kuwait has assured us that they remain deeply committed to friendly relations with India. They have also said that they do not support any interference in internal matters of India,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
Kuwait’s denunciation of anti-India propaganda on social media came on the heels of the assistance extended by India to the gulf country to tackle the spread of the coronavirus there. On the request of Kuwait, India deployed Rapid Action Team there which rendered valuable medical assistance in testing and treatment of coronavirus patients and training their personnel.
Recently, some suspicious Twitter accounts, along with a few verified accounts, spewed venom against India and raised aspersion on the country’s pluralistic credentials. They asserted that Muslims in India were not treated respectfully after a congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic seminary, emerged as the most potent coronavirus super-spreader in India.
Calling out the nefarious intentions of miscreants to create fake profiles and sow discord among the communities, the Ambassador of India to Qatar, a few days back had tweeted, cautioning people from getting swayed by the fake accounts that are trying to drive a wedge between India and Gulf countries.
It is clear that fake identities are being used by forces inimical to India, to create divisions within our community. Please understand the reality and do not get swayed by these malicious attempts to sow discord. Our focus right now needs to be on COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/dVJnAr0Z4N
— India in Qatar (@IndEmbDoha) April 21, 2020
Similarly, a fake Pakistani Twitter account masquerading as a member of Omani royalty was caught peddling India-centric hatred on the social media. The Twitter account which went by the handle @SayyidaMona expressed solidarity with the Muslims in India and claimed that if the Indian government doesn’t stop the persecution of Muslims in India, then 1 million India expatriates living in Oman will be expelled. She also alleged that she would take up the matter with the Sultan of Oman.
Soon, the tweet by fake Twitter account went viral and was shared hundreds of times on Twitter. Later, the Omani princess herself put out a statement stating that the tweet that was going viral in her name did not belong to her. She clarified that neither she or her official Twitter handles had threatened Indians staying in Oman of expulsion.
“Friends, First of all, I thank you for your concern to verify the offensive post published through an account impersonating me, which you are sure that I have no connection with it. With full trust in all of you in strengthening awareness among all regarding such activities, which are not acceptable to the Omani society, I confirm again that my presence in social media is restricted on the following accounts: @hhmonaalsaid and @MonaFahad 13.” Prince Mona clarified.
Responding to Prince Mona’s tweet, the Indian Ambassador to Oman expressed his gratitude for issuing clarification on fake social media posts attributed to her. He also added that India values its friendship with Oman and will continue to bolster it by working closely with the Government and people of Oman.
I thank HH @MonaFahad13 for clarification on fake social media posts attributed to her.
— Amb Munu Mahawar (@AmbMunu) April 22, 2020
India values its friendly relations with Oman and will continue working closely with the Government and people of Oman to further strengthen our special relationship.@MEAIndia@MofaOman https://t.co/9FET0ADw1r
UAE seeks India’s help to battle the scourge of COVID-19
The United Arab Emirates has requested the Indian Government to send healthcare professionals to fight the spread of the coronavirus in the Gulf country.
According to the sources, two requests have been made by the government of the UAE to India. One of them is to allow the healthcare workers who had travelled to India in the wake of commercial travel suspension to return back to the UAE. The other one is to grant permission to hire and avail the services of doctors and nurses for a shorter duration to overcome the immediate COVID-19 crisis.
