UNITED NATIONS - A United Nations spokesman, asked to comment on the blasphemous remarks by India's ruling party leaders against Holy Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him), said Monday the world body supported "respect and tolerance" for all religions. "I've seen stories, I haven't seen the remarks themselves, but I mean, regardless, I can tell you that we strongly encourage respect and tolerance for all religions," UN Secretary-General's Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question from APP correspondent at the regular noon briefing in New York. Meanwhile, the derogatory references to Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sparked off a huge diplomatic outrage, with several Muslim countries, including Pakistan, lodging official protests against India. Anger has poured out on social media, and calls for a boycott of Indian goods have surfaced in some Islamic nations. The controversial remarks follow increasing violence targeting India’s Muslim minority carried out by Hindu nationalists who have been emboldened by Modi’s regular silence about such attacks since he was first elected in 2014. Over the years, Indian Muslims have been often targeted for everything from their food and clothing style to inter-religious marriages. Watchdog groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that attacks could escalate. Rights groups have also accused Modi’s ruling party of looking the other way and sometimes enabling hate speech against Muslims.