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He also criticized Facebook and Twitter for removing his posts. Mahathir, 95, is a respected leader in the Muslim world. He posted comments on blogs, Twitter and Facebook on Thursday (10/29) stating that he believes in freedom of expression, but that it should not be used to insult others.
Several Muslim-majority countries criticized the officials’ statements. French, including President Emmanuel Macron, who defended the use of cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad in French school classrooms.
Trouble erupted after a French teacher who showed a cartoon insulting the Prophet Muhammad to his students during citizenship lessons was beheaded on the street by a Chechen assailant. (Also read: Twitter Delete Mahathir’s tweet ‘Muslims have the right to kill millions of French’)
“Muslims have the right to anger and kill millions of French people for massacres in the past. But, in general, Muslims have not implemented the law of “tit for tat”. Muslims are not. The French should not do this, “Mahathir emphasized in his post. (See infographic: Charlie Hebdo Up Again; Show Raunchy Erdogan Cartoon)
“Because he has blamed all Muslims and Muslim religions for what an angry person did, Muslims have the right to punish the French,” he said, adding that he does not approve of the murder of the French professor. (Watch video: Heat comes from the floor of the mosque, the movement of residents in Tangerang)
Twitter deleted the right-to-kill tweet saying the post violated the platform’s rules on glorifying violence. The post was also removed on Facebook.
Mahathir accused social media of ignoring subsequent statements saying that Muslims had never retaliated for injustices against them in the past and that France should respect the beliefs of others.
“What fuels the reaction to my article is arousing French hatred of Muslims,” Mahathir said.
He also criticized Facebook and Twitter for removing the post.
“In my opinion, as they are providers of freedom of expression, they should at least allow me to explain and defend my position,” he emphasized.
Facebook said in an email that Mahathir’s post was removed for violating its hate speech policy.
On Thursday, a Tunisian migrant beheaded a woman and killed two others in a French church. The incident led Macron to double down on his promise to end conservative Islamic beliefs that undermine French values.
French officials say the killings are an attack on France’s core values of freedom of expression and defend the right to publish cartoons that insult the Prophet Muhammad.
(sya)
