Three large mosques and Muslim federations gathered at the Paris Mosque on Monday, November 2 condemned "
unjustified calls to boycott French products
", terrorism and "
all those who instrumentalize Islam for political ends
", in a joint declaration .
Read also: Caricatures: faced with the anger of the Arab world, Emmanuel Macron tries to calm the spirits
This text, presented to the press, was signed by the Great Mosque of Paris (GMP), the Great Mosque of Lyon, the Great Mosque of Saint-Denis de La Réunion, the Rassemblement des Musulmans de France (RMF), the Federation French of African Islamic Associations of the Antilles and Comoros (FFAIACA) and finally by the Coordination of Muslim Associations of Paris (CAP).
"
There are times when we must be in solidarity with our country which has been undergoing unjustified attacks for several weeks,
" write the signatories in the preamble, recalling moreover that "
French law gives a very large place to the freedom of expression and enacts the principles of believing or not believing
”, or that the press is free in France.
A quadruple condemnation
Their text consists of a quadruple condemnation.
First, the "
condemnation of unjustified calls to boycott French products
".
Then that of "
all those who instrumentalize Islam for political, diplomatic or mercantile ends to mislead our fellow citizens and our co-religionists
".
The signatories also denounce “
terrorism and all forms of violence expressed in the name of our religion
”.
Finally, they revolt against the "
calls for murder launched by foreign officials
".
This statement comes as anti-French demonstrations with calls to boycott French products have taken place in several Muslim countries, from Pakistan to Mali via Qatar.
Demonstrators protest against statements by Emmanuel Macron defending the right to caricature in the name of freedom of expression, after the beheading on October 16 by an Islamist of teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown his students caricatures of the prophet of Islam.
Islam in its strict interpretation forbids any representation of Muhammad.
Emmanuel Macron tried to appease the anger this weekend by ensuring that he understood, in an interview with the Al-Jazeera channel, that Muslims could be “
shocked
” by the cartoons of Muhammad, denouncing the “
manipulation
” and “
violence
".
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Macron "
understands and respects
" that the cartoons "
shock
" but denounces the violence