President of France, Emmanuel Macron, paid tribute to the coffin of the murdered teacher, Samuel Paty. (Image via BBC)

Indonesia: France sparks anger in the hearts of 2.5 billion Muslim

On Friday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Indonesia condemned the statement from President of France, Emmanuel Macron. Indonesia claimed that the statement from the French president had offended more than 2 billion Muslims around the world and caused divisions among religious communities.

Furthermore, the Foreign Affairs Ministry asserted that freedom of speech and expression should never tarnish honour, purity, and any religious symbols. As one of the world's largest Muslim and democratic countries in the world, Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Ministry urged global communities to prioritize religious union and tolerance amid the raging novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Previously, Macron attracted worldwide attention following the incident of Charlie Hebdo's caricature of Islamic Prophet Muhammad SAW. Moreover, Macron also stated that Muslim is "facing a crisis". The outrageous statement came as a response on the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, by a Czechian immigrant, Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch, after using the caricature as an example for freedom of expression. Macron said that secularism is what holds France together, and called for extremist groups that give Muslim a bad name.

Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister, Fachrul Razi, also criticized the statement, saying that Macron has incensed the Muslim communities around the world by mocking the symbol of Islam. He said that the freedom of expression should not go too far that it tarnishes honour, purity, and sacredness of value and symbols of any religions, and punishable by law.

Razi also supported the decision by the Foreign Affairs Ministry to call the French Ambassador and delivered a note of condemnation against Macron's incensing statement toward Islam. On the other hand, Razi reminded the Islamic community in Indonesia to never resort to violence and anarchy following Macron's statement and uphold humanity as values of Islam.

Not only Indonesia but also other Islamic countries have condemned Macron's statement. Even more, they also called for French products boycott.

Source: https://bit.ly/3jHzW9y