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Macron, in his tweet, said that France respected the existing differences. Still, France will reject any hate speech and defend what it calls a sensible debate.
“We will never give up. We respect all differences in a spirit of peace. We do not accept words that foster hatred and advocate reasonable debate. We will always uphold human dignity and universal values,” Macron tweeted, Al Arabiya reported Monday (26 / 10/2020).
Macron has criticized those he calls “Islamists” and defends the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. (Read also: Arab Christians criticize French insults against Islam)
This happened after Samuel Paty, a French teacher, was beheaded near Paris after he showed him cartoons of the Prophet during a class on freedom of expression. Macron said the teacher who died was the victim of an Islamic terror attack.
He also said he would never “drop” the cartoon during a ceremony honoring Paty last week. “They killed him because the Islamists wanted our future. They will never have it,” Macron said at the time.
The incident has sparked a debate about respect for religion and has led many leaders of the Islamic world to condemn the crime, but they emphasize the importance of respecting the prophets and symbols of Islam. There have been several social media campaigns in Muslim countries calling for a boycott of French products.
Al-Azhar’s high priest, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, condemned the beheadings, but said that insulting religion in the name of freedom of expression was an invitation to hatred. (Also read: Religion insulted, does Pogba resign from the French team?)
“I stress that insulting religion and attacking its sacred symbols under the banner of freedom of expression are an intellectual double standard and an open invitation to hatred,” he said.
(esn)
