The uproar over the cartoon of Prophet Muhammad can be solved if French President Emmanuel Macron wholeheartedly apologizes to Muslims worldwide for his attitude and views supporting and allowing the dissemination of the cartoon insulting Prophet MuhJakarta (ANTARA) - Chief of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction in the House of Representatives, Jazuli Juwaini, has urged French President Emmanuel Macron to apologize to Muslims worldwide and change his views on publication of Prophet Muhammad cartoons.
An apology will ease the uproar and serve as a turning point to promote global peace, he said here on Tuesday.
"The uproar over the cartoon of Prophet Muhammad can be solved if French President Emmanuel Macron wholeheartedly apologizes to Muslims worldwide for his attitude and views supporting and allowing the dissemination of the cartoon insulting Prophet Muhammad," he said.
As the leader of a modern nation, Macron should have respected and upheld the principle of universal human rights according to which religion and faith are human rights that must be respected to maintain world order and peace, he said.
For their part, all citizens in the world must uphold tolerance and must not insult the religion and faith of other citizens, he added.
“The freedom of expression is always limited in that the faith of other human beings must be respected without hurting their feelings,” he remarked.
Jazuli, who is also vice president of the World Muslim Parliamentary Forum, said the French president should subscribe to the attitude of other world leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who have firmly pledged not to allow the publication of the cartoon.
He said there is no unlimited freedom, much less if it hurts world Muslims. Therefore, Macron must be a gentleman and apologize to Muslims worldwide, he stated.
The chief of the PKS faction said he had sent a missive to President Macron earlier, protesting his remarks in support of reprinting of cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad.
“The PKS faction strongly denounces the French president's remarks that clearly insult Islam since he supports the publication of cartoons insulting Prophet Muhammad. For its part, the PKS faction has sent an official letter of protest to the French president to protest against his controversial attitude and statement,” he said in a written statement released last Thursday.
The letter has been routed to Macron through the French Embassy in Jakarta. (INE)
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Translator: Imam Budilaksono/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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