The administration of the Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina issued a strong condemnation on Friday in response to inflammatory remarks made by the controversial Indian figure, Mahant Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati. In their statement, they urged international organizations to take decisive action against those who incite communal tensions and called for measures to promote religious harmony and combat Islamophobia.
The Haramain Sharifain shared the statement on Facebook, expressing deep disapproval of Narsinghanand’s blasphemous comments about Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him).
The statement read, “The Haramain Sharifain strongly condemns the blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad…committed by an Indian priest, and calls on international organizations to prevent elements that incite communal discord and take steps to combat Islamophobia while promoting religious harmony.”
The condemnation followed the spread of a video on social media in which Narsinghanand made derogatory remarks about the Prophet. His comments sparked protests across India, including in Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad.
On Thursday, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Narsinghanand for an inflammatory speech he delivered on September 29 in Ghaziabad. Reports later confirmed that he was detained on Saturday, with additional FIRs registered against him in Amravati, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi formally requested Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand to file a criminal case against Narsinghanand for his offensive statements. Narsinghanand also faces charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for inciting religious discord, based on a complaint filed by a police officer in Ghaziabad.
The controversial figure has a history of similar cases, including one related to hate speech at a conclave in Haridwar in December 2021, for which he was previously granted bail.
