[ad_1]
Tweets posted by a person posing as an Omani princess aimed to disrupt social harmony in India and disrupt New Delhi’s ties to West Asian countries, people familiar with the events said Thursday.
Sayyida Mona bint Fahd al Said, the Omani princess whose name was used by the impersonator, issued a clarification on Wednesday that had no connection to tweets about the alleged expulsion of Indian workers from Oman.
The people named above, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said it was “deeply regrettable” that the Islamic Cooperation Organization (ICO) made allegations of Islamophobia against India. They described these allegations as objectively inaccurate and misleading.
Earlier this week, an apparently Pakistan-based Twitter user had renamed the account to that of the Omani princess and tweeted that Indian workers in Oman would be expelled if the Indian government “does not stop the persecution of the Muslims”. This account was subsequently deleted.
There was also an instance of a Twitter user posing as a Saudi princess to tweet similar content, the people said.
In a statement in Arabic, Princess Sayyida Mona said: “First of all, I appreciate your concern to verify what was posted through an account posing as me, with which you are sure I have no connection.”
Noting that such activities “are not acceptable to Omani society,” he added that his presence on social media was restricted to two accounts on Instagram and Twitter.
One of the people quoted above said the princess’s clarification made it clear that there is a “deliberate design to disturb social harmony” within India and impact special relations between India and the countries of western Asia. Indian mission chiefs in West Asian countries have called on Indian expats not to be swayed by such “malicious propaganda,” the person said.
People said it was “deeply regrettable that the OCI continues to make inaccurate and misleading statements” about the harassment of Muslims in India. The ICO should not “communalize” the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, they said.
People said that the repatriation of stranded Indian citizens in West Asia would not be possible at this time, as the country remains under blockade. The problem can be considered if there is a review of the blockade and Indian missions are in contact with host governments regarding the welfare of Indian workers, they said.
The situation continues to be dynamic and the government will continue to support the stranded Indians, the people said.
