An Indian-origin man who is head of a well-known Indian restaurant at Dubai is facing criticism for his anti-Islam tweet.
Michelin-star chef Atul Kochhar of the Rang Mahal restaurant at JW Marriot Marquis hotel received flak after taking a dig at Indian actress Priyanka Chopra’s tweet over a “Quantico” episode, that showed Hindu nationalists as terrorists.
“It’s sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2,000 years. Shame on You (sic),” Kochhar tweeted on Sunday. 
He later deleted the tweet and tweeted an apology, saying, “There is no justification for my tweet, a major error was made in the heat of the moment on Sunday. I fully recognize my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1,400 years ago and I sincerely apologize. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many,” he wrote.
JW Marriot hotel distanced itself from the chef’s comments tweeting, “We are aware of the comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar. We would like to stress that we do not share the same views as stated in the remark, nor is it a representation of the culture of diversity and inclusion that we pride ourselves on at the hotel.”
The anti-Islam tweet created a rage on social media against the chef, with twitterati calling for firing the chef and some residents have said that they would boycott the restaurant.
Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: “You (Kochhar) have offended me… As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement.”
By Sowmya Sangam
