Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused French President Macron of attacking Islam, after he criticised Islamists and defended the publication of cartoons depicting Mohammed, the prophet of Muslims.
Defending the freedom of expression, French President Macron had said Samuel Paty”was killed because Islamists want our future.” Earlier this month, Macron had also opined that “Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world”.
In a series of tweets, Imran Khan said the remark would sow division. “This is a time when President Macron could have put healing touch & denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation & marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalisation,” Khan wrote.
“It is unfortunate that he has chosen to encourage Islamophobia by attacking Islam rather than the terrorists who carry out violence, be it Muslims, White Supremacists or Nazi ideologists.”
“By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, President Macron has attacked & hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe & across the world,” Khan said.
In an address to the United Nations last month, Khan blasted Charlie Hebdo for republishing the cartoons, saying “wilful provocations” should be “universally outlawed”.
Meanwhile, several Muslim countries have called for a boycott of French goods. Several Arab trade associations have announced the boycott of French products, protesting the recent comments made by President Emmanuel Macron on Islam.
Paty was posthumously awarded the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest honour, at a ceremony at the Sorbonne University in Paris. President Macron said, France owed it to a “quiet hero … to continue his fight for liberty and for reason”.
The 47-year-old teacher was murdered on October 16 by Abdullakh of Chechen origin. The killer was Abdullakh Anzorov, 18. Prosecutors said the killer had paid two teenage students around €300 (£270; $355) to identify the teacher Paty.
Samuel Paty was targeted close to his school near Paris for showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class. His killer, Abdullakh Anzorov, was shot dead by police later.
