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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has expressed concern about what it called increasing open hostilities towards Muslims and has condemned inflammatory rhetoric and provocative acts that seek to smear Islam.
Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein cited some of these acts as what the world has recently witnessed in the form of populist speeches and publication of blasphemous cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
“Malaysia is committed to upholding 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 last night in a statement.
The statement comes amid a backlash in the Islamic world over French President Emmanuel Macron’s public statements defending the right to publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, which are considered blasphemous in Islam.
Macron made the remarks at a memorial for high school teacher Samuel Paty, who was assassinated after he allegedly showed his students some cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, published by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015, during a class on freedom of expression. .
Hishammuddin said that Malaysia, as a moderate and democratic Islamic country with a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, continues to promote and maintain harmonious relationships and peaceful coexistence, “not only among our people of different beliefs and convictions, but also in the context of the diverse global community. ”.
“Malaysia will continue to work with the international community to promote mutual respect among religions and prevent religious extremism at all levels,” he said.
In a related development, the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) called on Muslims in Malaysia and around the world to boycott French products.
Its president, Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, said it was regrettable that Macron “has made accusations with elements of Islamophobia by hiding behind freedom of expression.”
As an organization that promotes religious harmony, Abim condemns the brutal murder of Samuel Paty and at the same time strongly criticizes the statement of the French president.
“Abim believes that religious sensibilities should be respected, so religious diversity should lead to harmony and unity, and not create conflicts between humans,” he added in a statement.
