Heightened Tensions in France after blasphemy of the last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH)

Heightened tensions in France after blasphemy of the last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH) in the name of secularism and freedom of speech.

Egg was thrown at French President Macron here 

Rashid Hussain

Seemingly the blasphemous Charlie Hebdu Cartoons of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH) and French President Macron’s anti-Islam comments have created an environment of hatred and extremism in France. Both actions were condemned and criticized by Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco, and several other Muslim and non-Muslim countries across the world.

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday accused the Muslims of separatism and terrorism and that France would not stop publishing such blasphemous cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH). Though his comments came in response to the killing of a French teacher, Samuel Patty, a 47 years-old French national, who was attacked on his way home from a high school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, by a Russian-born Chechen boy in north-central France, it is unacceptable for the Muslims to stay calm on this issue.

On October 29, 2020, the incident of stabbings took place in the Mediterranean city's Notre-Dame Basilica where three French citizens were killed. A 60-year-old woman, was found dead at the entrance of the church with a deep cut to her throat, the second causality of the fatal stabbing was a 55-years old man, the church's sacristan, died from a serious wound to his throat. The third person was a 44-year-old woman who was stabbed several times before she fled the church and she was reported to have died at a nearby restaurant, French anti-terror prosecutor Jean-François Richard said in a press conference.

On Saturday, an arson attack was carried out by an unidentified person in France, he attempted to set fire to a mosque in Chateaudun, the head of the mosque said. The local police officials said the incident was considered an attempted arson. The mosque officials filed a complaint at the police station, the police started investigating the crime right away. The Secretary-General of Islamic Confederation National Opinion, Fatih Saikir said that someone set fire to the mosque after pouring a can of gasoline on the mosque walls but it was soon extinguished without expanding, the building sustained damage.

The same day, a 52-year-old Greek Orthodox priest who was closing a church in Lyon, France, was shot by an assailant using a sawn-off shotgun. The priest was shot in the stomach and his condition was considered life-threatening, the France National Police the Lyon prosecutor's office said.

Since President Emmanuel Macron's comments against Islam and the Muslims, boycotting French products and goods in several Islamic countries is on the rise. After a large-scale boycott of French products, Emmanuel Macron in an interview with Al-Jazeera broadcast tried to de-escalate the situation. Macron said that France wishes to calm down tensions and understands that the caricature of the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) could be shocking for all.

The French President’s anti-Islam remarks after the beheading of the teacher were criticized by world leaders, Pakistani Premier Imran Khan said “This is a time when President Macron could have put healing touch & denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarization & marginalization that inevitably leads to radicalization.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan in his speech urged Macron to have “mental checks” for treating “millions of members from different faith groups this way”, Erdogan’s comments prompted Paris to recall its envoy from Ankara.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a press conference at Ottawa, Canada, spoke against blasphemous caricatures and needless speech hurting certain communities. He said, “we will always defend freedom of speech but it is not without limits.”

The United Nations’ High Representative for the Alliance of Civilization, Miguel Angel called for the mutual respect of all religions and beliefs and for promoting fraternity and peace.

  

A couple of weeks ago, French President Emanuel Macron described Islam as a religion "in crisis," and announced plans for tougher laws to tackle what he called "Islamist separatism" in France.