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PUTRAJAYA: Wisma Putra has summoned a senior official from the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to express Malaysia’s concern about the “growing hostility” against Islam, such as the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
In a statement, Wisma Putra said that he had summoned the charge d’affaires of the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia sought to express its concern over “increasing hostilities, hate speech and defamation of Islam.”
“During the meeting, the ministry reiterated Malaysia’s position to strongly condemn any inflammatory rhetoric and acts of provocation that seek to smear Islam as the world has recently witnessed in the forms of populist speeches and the publication of profane cartoons depicting the Holy Prophet. Muhammad, “he added. .
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (Photo) said the country “strongly condemns” inflammatory rhetoric and provocative acts that smear Islam.
“Malaysia is committed to defending freedom of expression and expression as fundamental human rights as long as these rights are exercised with respect and responsibility so as not to infringe or violate the rights of others.
In this context, denigrating and tarnishing the Holy Prophet of Islam and associating Islam with terrorism are certainly beyond the scope of such rights.
“Such an act is provocative and disrespectful towards Islam and more than two billion Muslims around the world,” he said yesterday.
Hishammuddin said that as a moderate and democratic Islamic country with a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, Malaysia constantly promotes peaceful coexistence.
“Malaysia will continue to maintain harmonious relationships, not only between people of different beliefs and convictions, but also in the context of the diverse global community,” he said.
Hishammuddin’s statement comes amid backlash in the Islamic world over public comments by French President Emmanuel Macron in defense of the right to
Post cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, which are considered blasphemous in Islam.
Macron’s comments were made at a memorial event for high school teacher Samuel Paty, who was allegedly beheaded in response to showing his students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad as part of a lesson on freedom of expression.
Following the publication of the cartoons by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015, 17 people were killed in Paris, including 11 members of the magazine’s staff.
Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional strongly condemned Macron’s comments against Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim community.
Its chief information officer, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, said the inflammatory and derogatory comments were absolutely unacceptable and should be reported by all right-thinking people regardless of nationality or religion.
The French embassy in Malaysia said that France does not favor or stigmatize any religion and guarantees their peaceful coexistence within the laws and principles of the republic.
In a statement, the embassy said Macron did not target the Muslim community in France at all, but only “radical Islamism that should be isolated and fought.”
“The president clearly indicated that he would be intransigent in the face of any generalization, distinguishing the vast majority of French citizens of the Muslim faith from the militant and separatist minority that is hostile to the values of the republic and that, moreover, is a burden for the former “Said yesterday.
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