Justin Trudeau offends netizens with his tweet on Diwali, an Indian festival

Canadian Prime Minister justin trudeau was criticized for his tweet honoring the Indian Festival known as Diwali, HuffPost News reported. He has been recognized in the world as a strong supporter of multiculturalism in his country.

The prime minister tweeted, “Diwali Mubarak! We’re celebrating in Ottawa tonight.” The tweet included the hashtag “Happy Diwali.” He also attached a photo of him lighting a candle in honor of this Indian festival.

However, this particular post angered several netizens especially those who belonged to the community because of the words he used. Trudeau wrote an Arabic expression to greet people who celebrated the biggest holiday in the South Asian nation.

“Mubarak” is apparently on Urdu word that means “blessed” but it is not directly linked with the Diwali festival. The word is much more associated with the Muslim holiday known as Eid Mubarak. Diwali happens to be a festival celebrated by Hinduism, a faith which is entirely different from Islam. However, some Hindus may also use Urdu but the way Trudeau has written it appalled many people.

The festival

Diwali is considered one of the major holidays in India that is celebrated for five days during the autumn season, a few months before the New Year. Some netizens pointed out that the more appropriate greeting would have been “Diwali Ki Badhai.” The word “badhai” is translated as “congratulations” in Hindi.

This event, also known as “festival of lights,” is also commemorated by other religious groups in the world. These groups include Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.

Moreover, there are also several other ways to express one’s greetings in various languages. Many people also say “Diwali ki Shubhkamnayein” or “Shubh Deepavali.” However, none of these variations were mentioned by Trudeau, raising the eyebrows of the community.

Reactions

A Twitter user named @Ak_Ashii said he will not “be content when someone takes a dig” in his religion and cultural practices. He added, “Diwali is a festival of joy [and] happiness, and not of animal sacrifices.”

Another netizen who goes by the name @TarekFatah pointed out his outfit in the photo that went along with the tweet. The prime minister’s traditional Indian attire called Mughal Sherwani worn with his particular expression even added “insult to injury.”

Twitter user @KajaniK meanwhile said that as a prime minister, Trudeau should have conducted his own “research before posting.” He has previously tweeted greetings for other celebrations and traditions as well, such as the Chinese New Year and Ramadan.

Though he did not correct or edit the tweet, PM Justin Trudeau posted a video on his official account to speak to his followers. He encouraged people to take advantage of Diwali to celebrate values such as “inclusion, pluralism, and respect for differences.”