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French President Emmanuel Macron said that the news that he supports the cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad is misleading and caricatured in context, emphasizing that he understands the feelings of Muslims about these cartoons.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera, Macron said that France was subjected to 3 terrorist attacks by violent extremists, who did so by transforming and perverting Islam in actions that shocked and injured the French people, adding that the attack on France was based in many misunderstandings.
He said that his meeting with Al-Jazeera falls within the framework of eliminating misunderstandings and emphasizing that France is a country interested in freedom of belief and what is often called secularism, and that its goal is that in France all citizens , regardless of their religion, they have the same political and civil rights, and a society that coexists with all the religions that live. in that.
“Our country has no problems with any religion in the world, because all religions are freely practiced in our country, both for French Muslims and for citizens of the whole world who profess Islam, and France is a country where Islam it is practiced freely, and there is no stigmatization or shame, “he added. All this is wrong, and everything that is said is wrong. “
Macron said that France “is a country whose universal message is to be interested in peace and the ability to live independently of religion. Many wrong things have been said, and I want here to address a message of firmness against terrorism, against all extremists. violent and at the same time a message of peace and unity, and a message of saying “. The truth is that this is the main objective of my conversation with you today. “
Misunderstanding and manipulation
Regarding the offensive cartoons and his statements that I understood that he supported them, Macron said they were based on “misunderstandings and a lot of manipulation”, noting that the matter is related to the freedoms guaranteed by law, the freedom of belief and conscience and the freedom of expression.
He added: “In France, any journalist can freely comment on anyone, even the president of the republic. Freedom of expression means drawing, satire or caricature. This is our law, and it dates back to the end of the 19th century, and it is important to defend it. “
He considered that this law had given rise to satirical cartoons in newspapers, caricatures mocked by political leaders and of all religions, including the newspaper “Charlie Hebdo” that mocked Christians, Jews, rabbis … and today they paint about Islam and his Prophet.
In this context, the French president said: “I understand and respect the feelings of anger that this provokes, but in return I want you to understand my role. My role is to calm things down, but also to protect these rights that are the property of the French people. There are an important difference that all Muslims who were shocked must make. To understand it. “
“I will always defend in my country the freedom to say, write, think and draw, this does not mean that I personally support everything that is said and everything that he thinks and everything that he paints, but that this means that these freedoms, these rights , human rights that were created in France, and I think our message is To protect it and also to protect the sovereignty of the French people.
Speech distortion
And on his speech during the memorial service for the murdered teacher Samuel Patti and saying word for word firmly: “We will never give up cartoons, or cartoons until others back down.” He said that many media outlets quoted his words and distorted him by saying, “I support cartoons that insult the Prophet.”
He continued: “I have never said that, first because these fees, and this is important for all Muslims who listen to me, affect all religions, all. There are no charges directed against one religion without another religion, and it also affects all. the leaders”.
He also stated that the reactions in the Islamic world were due to many lies and distortions “because people understood that I support these cartoons”, and emphasized that they only support the freedom to write, think and draw freely in France “This may surprise some , I respect him, but he must To speak and we must build a space of mutual respect.
Regarding the boycott campaign against France in the days that followed his statement, Macron said: “This is inappropriate and we condemn and condemn it, but this campaign is the work of some private groups because they did not understand and is based on lies about the cartoons. “.
Macron said: “Terrorism practiced in the name of Islam is a scourge for Muslims in the world. Muslims are the first victims of terrorism that is committed in the name of Islam … it is the terrorism of extremist Islam as we call it in France. , terrorism practiced by violent extremists who alter religion and commit violence in the name of Islam. “
“In France, there are several million citizens whose religion is Islam, I do not fight against them. They are full citizens. They want to live in peace, and we have friendly countries in all parts of the world in which the majority religion is Islam, but today violent extremists are doing their worst in the name of Islam. “
Extremists in the name of Islam
Regarding his statement that “Islam is a religion that today lives in a deep crisis throughout the world,” said Macron, “what he wanted to say is very clear, which is that there is violence practiced today by some extremist groups and individuals. in the name of Islam. Of course, this is a problem for Islam because Muslims are the first victims. ” I mentioned in numbers that more than 80% of the victims are Muslims, and this is a problem for all of us and therefore all religions have gone through such a crisis in their history.
He added: “The crisis within our society, because in many places there are individuals who feel incomprehensible and commit the worst in the name of religion, and many times those who do not know this religion well with the complicity of those who know this religion better than they or rather say they know her. “
Macron released a message of consolation to the Muslims of France, saying: “My project or our project on the basis of which the French chose me, which is the same as the historical project of France, its main mission carries a message of peace between religions, because it is a message of knowledge and construction of the mind “.
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