Doctors as Humans
Afew years ago, I was on a return flight from New Delhi to Paris and New York, when the chief flight attendant suddenly broke up the humming silence and asked passengers to ring the call bell if anyone was a doctor.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation, has conveyed to India its concern over this week’s riots in New Delhi which have left over 40 people dead.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said it had called Indian Ambassador in Jakarta Pradeep Kumar Rawat on Friday to discuss the riots.
“The Government of Indonesia has complete confidence that the Government of India will be able to manage the situation and ensure the harmonious relations among its religious communities. Moreover, both countries share similar characteristics, as pluralistic countries that uphold democratic values and tolerance,” the ministry said in a statement.
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Rawat is believed to have told the Indonesian officials that everything was now under control. He also told them that a lot of fake news was being spread by vested interests to disrupt the bond of the country’s plurality.
According to reports received from Jakarta, the development came hours after the Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry, in an unusual move, issued a statement calling the sectarian violence in the Indian capital as “inhuman” and “contrary to religious values”.
Indonesian Minister of Religion Affairs Fachrul Razi urged India to protect its minority population and not harm humanitarian values over differences in faith. “The riots were inhuman and contrary to religious values,” he said in a statement.
He also asked religious leaders both in India and Indonesia to exercise restraint and avoid provocation over this issue. “Hopefully the situation in India will return to normal as soon as possible,” Razi added. Fearing reprisal of Indian violence in his country, he warned miscreants against taking any advantage.
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