Islamic Awakening Assembly Blasts Insult to Prophet Muhammad

In a statement on Sunday, Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Ali Akbar Velayati denounced the insults to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the 21st century as “modern bigotry”.

After the international condemnation of a French magazine’s move to publish defamatory cartoons of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, the dual-standards resulted in the promotion of such heretical and anti-religious ideology in the educational system of France, the statement added.

The assembly also described extremism and insults to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as two sides of a coin used by Zionism and the global arrogance against Islam.

The unforgivable sin committed in France in the guise of freedom of expression and modernity has harmed the feelings of Muslims and advocates of freedom and justice in the world, the statement added, saying it will lead to stronger Muslim unity.

The World Assembly of Islamic Awakening condemns such a grave crime and insult, and calls on all Muslims to remain vigilant and thwart the anti-Islamic plots, it concluded.

In recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron has attacked Islam and the Muslim community, accusing Muslims of "separatism," and claiming that "Islam is a religion in crisis all over the world."

Macron has also approved the publication of blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad and stressed that his country would not give up the insulting cartoons despite harsh criticisms from Muslims.

Moreover, French teacher Samuel Paty raised controversy last week and provoked anger over showing defamatory cartoons of Islam's Prophet Muhammad to his students. Paty was decapitated by an 18-year-old assailant, identified as Chechen Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead by police soon after the killing.

Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has censured attempts by French politicians to link Muslims and Islam with terrorism, amid growing anti-Islam sentiment due to hostile policies adopted by the European state.

The French interior ministry said a total of 73 mosques, private schools, and workplaces had been shut down since January “in the fight against radicalization.”

Last week, French police stormed a mosque in a densely-populated suburb in the northeast of Paris, as part of a crackdown on Muslims in the wake of the French teacher's beheading.

The interior ministry said the mosque in Pantin, which has some 1,500 worshipers, would be shut for six months.