New wave of Islamophobia
FOLLOWING the recent statement by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he accused Muslims of separatism and vowed not to give up cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), outrage spread throughout the Muslim World. In response various Muslim leaders and officials condemned the statement and many Muslim countries boycotted French products. Earlier this month, he had also dubbed Islam as religion of crisis across the world, which was execrated as well. But the recent statement came out after Samuel Paty, a history school teacher in France, showed his class Prophet Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H) cartoons on freedom of expression earlier this month, later he was decapitated by a Muslim. Thereafter, police bumped off the Muslim for Paty’s Murder and pretext of extremism. All this limn new wave of Islamophobia.
No country’s constitution accords such a right of freedom of expression that hurts billions of people.
Moreover, after demise of Paty, people came out on roads in France and French Government suspected various Muslim prayers and organizations of spreading hatred. This is not the first time that Islamophobia is raised, but constantly western world is promulgating Islamophobic activities be it caricatures of holy Personality, raiding mosques, suspecting Muslims, or singling out a day namely ‘Punish a Muslim Day’. Especially, western world is intending to align Islam with extremism and terrorism, de facto, which do not have any relation with the Islam. In addition to this, Charlie Hebdo, a leftwing French magazine infamous for publishing antiIslamic caricatures, which has drawn widespread anger and outrage across the World, republished cartoons insulting Islam and Prophet, which again aroused anger in hearts of Muslims across the globe.
Currently, the Muslim world is indignant over the statement by French President. Prime Minister Pakistan Imran Khan said, “It is unfortunate that Macron has chosen to encourage Islamophobia by attacking Islam rather than terrorists who carry out violence be it Muslim, white supremacists, or Nazi ideologists.” He added, “Sadly, President Macron has chosen to deliberately provoke Muslims, including his own citizens.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan articulated that French President Macron need mental health checks and warned that Europe is preparing its own termination amid rising hatred towards Muslims and Islam across the continent. He further added that if they are not rid of this disease as soon as possible, it will collapse all of Europe from within.
Various other leaders carrying Egyptians and Jordanians verbalized that all these heinous attempts to link Islam with terrorism and extremism are signals of Islamophobia and they strive to malign Islam because they have gauged our discordance and inefficiency of OIC.