Iranian MPs Blast French Insult to Prophet of Islam

In a statement on Monday, 240 Iranian parliamentarians lashed out at the French government for supporting the move by a satirical magazine which has publish defamatory cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“Such behaviors under the pretext of freedom of expression amount to the gravest cruelty against freedom of expression,” the Iranian MPs said, denouncing the offensive measures as part of attempts to slow down the growing enthusiasm for Islam in France.

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 and provoked anger over showing defamatory cartoons of the holy Prophet 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.

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.