Kuwaiti MPs called on their government on Thursday to apply all forms of pressure against India following insults against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by government, party and media officials in the South Asian nation that sparked protests by millions of Muslims around the world. A statement signed by 30 MPs of the 50-member National Assembly also condemned what it called atrocities by Indian police against “our Indian Muslim brethren” who protested peacefully against the insults.

Meanwhile, thousands of social media activists have demanded that all Arab countries, and especially Gulf states, where some eight million Indians live and work, deport Hindutva supporters in retaliation for the insults to Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) and atrocities against peaceful Muslim demonstrators.

“Members of the Kuwait National Assembly express their rejection of insults made by the Indian government, party and media officials against the Prophet (PBUH), Islamic religion and Islamic holy sites,” the statement said. The statement also condemned violent actions by the Indian government against Indian Muslims and their properties and called for providing protection to them.

The lawmakers also urged the government of Kuwait and world governments to apply diplomatic, economic and media pressure and other means of pressure in a bid to stop insults against the Prophet (PBUH) and attacks against Indian Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Assembly’s budgets committee failed to meet for the second time in three days due to a lack of quorum, head of the panel MP Annan Abdulsamad said. He said the meeting is necessary to vote on the state budget for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, which started on April 1, and also approve some 45 independent budgets of state-run agencies and departments.

Abdulsamad warned that if the committee fails to meet next week, the Assembly will likely do what it did last year and withdraw the budgets from the committee and approve them in the Assembly without the need for the panel’s report. Also on Thursday, 17 opposition MPs continued their sit-in protest at the National Assembly to press for an end to what they claimed are violations to the country’s constitution and preventing the Assembly from holding sessions./KT