The improvement in India’s ties with the Gulf countries is often cited as a major success of the present government. In March 2019, it resulted in then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressing the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Abu Dhabi, a breakthrough for India. At all costs, attempts by the OIC to make statements and arrogate to itself the well-being of India’s Muslims must be rebuffed as gross interference. In that sense, the OIC’s criticism of India is a clear attempt at reaffirming its leadership of the movement. But it must also be wary of groupings with nothing in common other than a religious world view.

Source: The Hindu December 31, 2019 18:35 UTC