Addressing the youths in a statement on Wednesday, the Leader advised, “Ask your president why he supports insulting God’s Messenger in the name of freedom of expression.”
“Does freedom of expression mean insulting, especially a sacred personage?” Ayatollah Khamenei asked.
In His Name
Young French people!
Ask your President why he supports insulting God’s Messenger in the name of freedom of expression. Does freedom of expression mean insulting, especially a sacred personage? Isn’t this stupid act an insult to the reason of the ppl who elected him?
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir)
October 28, 2020
Last Wednesday, Macron supported a French teacher’s displaying of cartoons insulting Prophet Muhammad in his class. “France will never renounce caricatures,” Macron declared, defending the teacher for “promoting freedom.”
The teacher, Samuel Paty, was murdered by an 18-year-old Chechen assailant. Commenting on the attack, Macron described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide, trying to suggest that the assailant had been motivated to kill the teacher by the faith rather than radicalism.
Macron insisted on his position again on Sunday by tweeting, “We will not give in, ever.” The Leader called the French statesman’s insolence a “stupid act” that served to affront the reason of the very people, who have voted him to power.
Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, asked how come -- from France’s perspective -- questioning the Holocaust was “a crime” that warranted imprisonment, while insulting Prophet Muhammad could be condoned.
The next question to ask is: why is it a crime to raise doubts about the Holocaust? Why should anyone who writes about such doubts be imprisoned while insulting the Prophet (pbuh) is allowed?
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir)
October 28, 2020
The French head of state’s effrontery has opened the floodgates of backlash from Muslims around the world, with numerous Muslim states and peoples issuing condemnatory statements against Macron or rising in thousands-strong protests.
Many Muslim companies and associations have also boycotted French items in protest.
