Iraq, Libya, Malaysia and Turkey have joined a number of Muslim countries in protesting India over the statements of the former representative of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian People's Party) Nupur Sharma about the Prophet Muhammad.

The Iraqi and Malaysian Foreign Ministries protested to Indian ambassadors in those countries, The Times of India reported on Wednesday. A spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party said that "India must take action to combat the rise in Islamophobia and strengthen the religious freedom of Muslims.

The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Sharma's insulting remarks about the Prophet Muhammad and called for religious tolerance, non-violence and hatred.

On Monday, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Jordan, Maldives, UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia called on India to respect the religious feelings of all believers. Responding to the statements of these countries, the Indian Foreign Ministry stressed that "the government of the republic shows the highest respect for all religions.

India's minister of industry and trade, Piyush Goyal, said the scandal over insulting Muhammad did not spoil India's relations with Muslim countries.