PARIS: Muslims are “not persecuted” in France, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said Monday as a row over radical Islam and freedom of speech pits some Muslim nations against Paris.
“France is a great country, Muslim citizens are not persecuted, they freely construct their mosques and they freely practice their religion,” said the council, which acts as an official go-between for the state and observant Muslims.
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to take the fight to Islamist radicals after the Oct. 16 beheading of a history teacher who had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to pupils in a class discussion on free speech.
But a backlash against his comments saw protests in Muslim-majority countries over the weekend, with people burning pictures of Macron in Syria and setting fire to French flags in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Boycotts of French goods are under way in supermarkets in Qatar and Kuwait, with further calls to spurn French products in Jordan, Turkey and other states.
The head of the CFCM, Mohammed Moussaoui, urged French Muslims on Monday to “defend the interests” of the nation in the face of the international outcry.
“We know that the promoters of these campaigns say they defend Islam and the Muslims of France, we urge them to be reasonable... all the smear campaigns against France are counterproductive and create division,” he said.
Regarding cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed, viewed as offensive by many Muslims, Moussaoui said French law gave people “the right to hate” the cartoons.
But he said he supported the stance of Macron, who has vowed France would never relinquish cartoons or the right to mock religion.
Representatives of the CFCM are to meet Macron at the Elysee Palace later Monday.
Muslims ‘not persecuted’ in France, says country’s Muslim council
https://arab.news/cfptc
Muslims ‘not persecuted’ in France, says country’s Muslim council
Explosion in the Netherlands injures at least 4 and causes widespread damage
- The four people injured were taken to the city’s hospital
- Firefighters said they were investigating how they could safely comb through the rubble
UTRECHT, Netherlands: An explosion on a residential street in the center of the Dutch city of Utrecht injured at least four people Thursday, an emergency services official said. The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
The explosion, which caused a blaze and widespread damage, occurred mid afternoon, sending people running into nearby shopping streets. Firefighters tried to douse the flames but were not immediately able to enter damaged homes because of fears of structural damage.
Emergency services spokesman Sjaak Haasnoot said the four people injured were taken to the city’s hospital. The extent of their injuries was not known. It was unclear if there were any casualties.
“It is very difficult at the moment to say how many victims are under the rubble,” Haasnoot said. “The fire department cannot enter the building because it is still unstable.”
Firefighters said they were investigating how they could safely comb through the rubble of the shattered buildings to establish if any people are trapped. Residents whose homes were damaged were being accommodated in a nearby hotel.
Police were investigating, Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma told reporters.
“This explosion has had a huge impact on the heart of our city. Everyone is deeply shocked, especially those in the immediate vicinity,” Dijksma said.
