Patriarch of Jerusalem Condemn Anti-Islamic French Statements

Jerusalem, MINA – The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, chairman of the Governing Council of the Holy Land Church, condemned France’s insult to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

In a statement, the Patriarch said he was deeply concerned about the state and development of polarization as a result of internal politics in France. Thus quoted from Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

He stressed his condemnation of France for its insult to Islam as much as any other condemnation of such humiliation befall any other monotheistic religion.

Theophilos III also condemned all acts of violence targeting those with different religious opinions or beliefs, and called for civilized dialogue to be the only method of interaction to reduce the intellectual and ideological divide between different religions and ideologies.

On October 2, French President Emmanuel Macron announced controversial plans to tackle what he called “Islamic separatism” in France, claiming that Islam was in a “crisis” worldwide and vowing to “liberate Islam in France from foreign influence.”

Last week, Macron defended cartoons that blasphemed the Prophet Muhammad and said France would not give up on the derogatory cartoons after the brutal murder of junior high school teacher Samuel Paty who displayed provocative caricatures in a classroom.

At least 73 mosques, private schools and offices in France were closed so far this year, according to the French Interior Ministry.

France is a country that has the largest Muslim minority in Western Europe with around 5 million people. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)