UAE residents began “calling for the sacking of a Michelin-star chef in Dubai for his ‘anti-Islam tweet'”.
His offensive words during a heated Twitter exchange were these:
“It’s sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorized by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on You.”
He deleted the tweet with an apology:
“There is no justification for my tweet … I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many.”
The “Islamophobic” tweet drew outrage and a call for the chef’s firing, and now Kochhar is gone, two days after his tweet.
The restaurant issued the following statement:
Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant,” Bill Keffer, general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai said…..At the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai we pride ourselves on creating a culture of diversity and inclusion for our guests and associates across the hotel and our restaurants
This case out of the United Arab Emirates bears worrying resemblance to many Western countries today, where an Islamic furor erupts at any perceived offence against Islam, followed by punishment from authorities who have increasingly bowed to the sharia.
“UAE residents call for sacking of famous chef for anti-Islam tweet”, by Anjana Sankar, Khaleej Times, June 12, 2018:
The UAE residents are calling for the sacking of a Michelin-star chef in Dubai for his “anti-Islam tweet”. Atul Kochhar, head chef of the popular Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at the JW Marriot Marquis hotel, received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over a Quantico episode that portrayed 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 2000 years. Shame on You (sic),” Kochhar wrote. He later deleted the tweet and put out an apology, saying the “major error” was “made in the heat of the moment on Sunday”.
“There is no justification for my tweet … I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded round 1400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many.”
JW Marriot hotel distanced itself from the chef’s comments. “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,” tweeted JW Marriot Marquis on Monday.
The anti-Islam tweet created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef…..
“Dubai hotel cuts ties with Chef Atul Kochhar following tweet”, by Bindu Rai, Gulf News, June 13, 2018:
A Dubai hotel has cut ties with celebrity chef Atul Kochhar following an inflammatory tweet that caused outrage on social media amid accusations of racism, bigotry and Islamophobia.
The Michelin-starred chef operated the award-winning Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at Dubai’s JW Marriott Marquis Hotel.Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant,” Bill Keffer, general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai said in an emailed statement to Gulf News tabloid!.