About 200 people demonstrated this Saturday, October 24 in front of the residence of the French ambassador to Israel to denounce the words of French President Emmanuel Macron on the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, according to an AFP team.
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Protesters - some with their faces covered by a sanitary mask - called on banners written in Arabic in defense of the Prophet Muhammad, at the rally which began after evening prayers in Jaffa, a largely Arab town adjacent to the metropolis Tel Aviv.
The prophet "
is the most sacred thing in Islam and he who attains his honor, reaches a whole people,
" Amin Bukhari, a protester accusing the French president of playing into the hands of "
the far right
," told the crowd.
".
"
We must respect Moses among the Jews, we must respect Jesus Christ, who is also our prophet, and we must respect the prophet Mohammed (Muhammad, Editor's note), peace be upon him
", added this protester during this gathering in front of the residence of French Ambassador Eric Danon, who dispersed without incident.
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The Islamist movements Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave of two million inhabitants, and Islamic Jihad also denounced the words of the French president.
"
Insulting religions and prophets is not a matter of freedom of expression but rather promotes a culture of hatred,
" Hamas said in a statement, saying "to
prevent
", without further clarification, "
consequences
" that could have these statements.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad - Gaza's second armed group, after Hamas - argued that "
offending
" Islam, and its prophet Muhammad, was a "
red line
" that "
could not be tolerated
".
The French head of state spoke Thursday during a tribute to Professor Samuel Paty, beheaded by an Islamist assailant after showing his 4th year students drawings of Muhammad during a course on freedom expression.
Since then, calls for a boycott of French products have multiplied this Saturday in several countries or territories of the Middle East, after the stir aroused by the words of Emmanuel Macron who promised not to "
renounce the cartoons
" of the prophet Muhammad .
Representation of prophets is strictly prohibited by Sunni Islam and ridiculing or insulting the Prophet Muhammad is punishable by death in some Muslim countries.