PARIS: Muslims “are not persecuted” in France, the French Council of Muslims Faith (CFCM) said Monday as a discussion on Radical Islam and freedom of speech pits Muslim nations against Paris.
“France is a great country, Muslim citizens are not persecuted, they freely build their mosques and freely practice their religion,” said the council, which acts as an official intermediary between the state and practicing Muslims.
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to lead the fight to radical Islamists after the Oct. 16 beheading of a history teacher who had shown cartoons of the prophet Muhammad to students in a class discussion on freedom of expression.
But a backlash against his comments sparked protests in Muslim-majority countries over the weekend, with people burning photos of Macron in Syria and setting fire to French flags in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Boycotts of French products are taking place in supermarkets in Qatar and Kuwait, with further calls to reject French products in Jordan, Turkey and other states.
The head of the CFCM, Mohammed Moussaoui, urged French Muslims on Monday to “defend the interests” of the nation in the face of international outcry.
“We know that the promoters of these campaigns say that they defend Islam and Muslims in France, we urge them to be reasonable … all smear campaigns against France are counterproductive and create division,” he said.
Regarding the cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed, considered offensive by many Muslims, Moussaoui said that French law gives people “the right to hate” the cartoons.
But he said he supported the position of Macron, who has vowed that France will never give up cartoons or the right to mock religion.
Representatives of the CFCM will meet with Macron at the Elysee Palace on Monday afternoon.
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