French President Emmanuel Macron did not target the Muslim community in France but elements of radical Islamism that espouse violence, said the French Embassy in KL today.
It made the statement as a growing backlash spreads across the Islamic world over Macron's public remarks defending the right to publish caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, which are considered blasphemous in Islam.
"In recent days, calls to boycott French products have emanated from certain quarters in the Middle East and have been relayed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We note that some personalities have tried to start such a campaign in Malaysia, we are heartened by the assurances given to us by the Malaysian authorities that the Malaysian government does not condone such appeals," said the French Embassy.
Macron's remarks were made at a memorial event for high school teacher Samuel Paty, who was stabbed and beheaded by Abdoullakh Abouyedovich Anzorov, an 18-year-old Muslim Chechen refugee, after Paty had allegedly shown his students some caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, published by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015, during a class on the freedom of expression.
Paty's murder caused outrage in a country where the separation of church and state is fiercely defended by many, but it also exposed divisions in a society where a vocal minority in the Muslim community feels its beliefs are not respected.
France recalled its ambassador on Saturday after Erdogan said Macron needed mental help over his attitude towards Muslims.
"Freedom of religion is protected by the French Constitution and legal system. Indeed, as stated in the French Constitution of 1958, "France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs"," said the French Embassy.
"The "freedom to practice religion" has been recognised since 1905 when the Law on the Separation of the Church and State came into effect.
"Far from being a tool against religion, this law returned all religions to the private sphere and established state secularism in the public sphere. The French state does not favour or stigmatise any religion and guarantees their peaceful co-existence within the laws and principles of the Republic," it added.
Macron did not target the Muslim community in France at all but only the ideology of radical Islamism that espoused violence which should be isolated and fought, said the embassy.
"This ideology, built on indoctrination and the creation of a counter-society, thinks it is above the laws of the state.
"It is in this sense that the radical Islamism project can even, in some cases, seek to take control of society.
"The president clearly indicated that he would be intransigent concerning any generalisation, distinguishing the vast majority of French citizens of Muslim faith from the militant and separatist minority who are hostile to the values of the Republic, and who are moreover a burden for the former."
Four Islamic extremist groups are reported to be responsible for a significant majority of deaths linked to this militant tendency: Isis, Boko Haram, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
The embassy acknowledged that while the growth of such militant movements may have been fuelled by crises and abuses in the Islamic world, or by external influences, it has also found fertile ground in the social difficulties affecting France and in its colonial past.
Saying that Macron was willing to confront the taboo trauma of France's colonial past, the embassy pointed to the fact that representatives of the Muslim faith in France rallied around the president.
Local political leaders still upset with Macron's remarks
However today Senior Minister (Economy) Azmin Ali took issue with Macron's remarks.
"The inflammatory and disparaging remarks are absolutely unacceptable and should be denounced by all right-thinking people regardless of nationality or religion.
Calling it hate speech calculated to provoke Muslims across the world and sow hatred and animosity against Muslims, Azmin blasted Macron's view that Islam "needs Enlightenment".
"In expressing his myopic and patronising views on how Muslims ought to practise their religion and castigating" the French president has made bare his Islamophobia as well as intellectual incapacity to grasp the real issues that impact the world.
"Instead of demonstrating understanding towards other religions and inclusiveness in leadership, it is utterly regrettable that a head of state of a G7 member country, has chosen the path of religious chauvinism and intolerance," said Azmin in a statement today.
Earlier this week Minister of Foreign Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein expressed grave concern over what growing open hostilities towards Muslims, saying "Malaysia is committed to upholding the freedom of speech and expression as fundamental human rights for as long as these rights are exercised with respect and responsibility in order to not infringe on or violate the rights of others.
"In this context, to denigrate and tarnish Islam's Holy Prophet and to associate 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 all over the world," he said in a statement.
Opposition leader PKR President Anwar Ibrahim also expressed dissatisfaction with Macron's belief that Islam was facing a crisis around the world, saying it was as offensive as it was unreasonable.
"To expand reasoned diagnosis of a radical fringe in order to then implicate the whole not only of Muslim communities everywhere but the character of Islam itself is gross ignorance," he said.
PAS yesterday submitted a memorandum to the French Embassy in Malaysia objecting to the French president's statement. - Mkini
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