Muslims protest against Charlie Hebdo
Abdul Rahim SabriPublished: Jan 23, 2015 3:58 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2015 5:47 PM
Muslims in Malaysia have launched their protest against satirical French publication Charlie Hebdo which recently printed a caricature of Prophet Muhammad.
UPDATED 5.45PM
Hizbut Tahrir supporters protest 'insult to Prophet'.
Muslims in Malaysia have launched their protest against satirical French publication Charlie Hebdo which recently printed a caricature of Prophet Muhammad.
About 300 Muslims consisting of supporters and members of a global movement, Hizbut Tahrir, gathered outside the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur today to hold their demonstration.
The protest is the first in the country since the attacks on the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo earlier this month.
The protesters congregated at the Tabung Haji Mosque on Jalan Ampang before marching to the embassy, which is some 500 metres away on Jalan Tun Razak, while shouting slogans such as “Long Live Islam! Destroy France!”
They also carried banners and posters with slogans “Muslim United, our Prophet, Our Honour!”, “Charlie’s rude” and “Muhammad insulted, rulers should declare jihad!”
Hizbut Tahrir is a loose affiliate of groups around the world which promotes a return of the caliphate to address what they perceive as a lack of unity among Muslims.
Hizbut Tahrir spokesperson Abdul Hakim Othman and another member handed over a protest memorandum over to a representative from the French Embassy at around 2.50pm.
In the memorandum, it was stated that the protest today was a sign of solidarity and love shown by Muslims towards the Prophet and vowed not to let him be mocked.
“We will not let Prophet Muhammad be insulted. The protest today is to send a message that we condemn such a rude act (by the magazine) that insulted the Prophet,” said Abdul Hakim in his speech during the protest.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters later, Abdul Halim condemned the French government for being biased in allowing the publication of an unacceptable caricature under the guise of freedom of expression.
Ironically, before this the magazine’s publication was halted when they refused to apologise after publishing a caricature of the son of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
“This is double-standards. (Charlie Hebdo) purposely infuriated the Muslims through provocation. In fact, this has worsened the relationships of Muslims in France,” said Abdul Hakim.
The demonstration lasted for an hour plus and ended peacefully at around 3pm.
Similar protests have also been held by Muslims in other countries like Niger, Pakistan, Senegal, Jordan, Algeria, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria and Russia.
The publication of the caricature by Charlie Hebdo has also drawn flak from Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) secretary-general Iyad Ameen Madani, who said it was a “stupid” move and urged the authorities to take firm action on the magazine.
About 300 Muslims consisting of supporters and members of a global movement, Hizbut Tahrir, gathered outside the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur today to hold their demonstration.
The protest is the first in the country since the attacks on the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo earlier this month.
The protesters congregated at the Tabung Haji Mosque on Jalan Ampang before marching to the embassy, which is some 500 metres away on Jalan Tun Razak, while shouting slogans such as “Long Live Islam! Destroy France!”They also carried banners and posters with slogans “Muslim United, our Prophet, Our Honour!”, “Charlie’s rude” and “Muhammad insulted, rulers should declare jihad!”
Hizbut Tahrir is a loose affiliate of groups around the world which promotes a return of the caliphate to address what they perceive as a lack of unity among Muslims.
Hizbut Tahrir spokesperson Abdul Hakim Othman and another member handed over a protest memorandum over to a representative from the French Embassy at around 2.50pm.
In the memorandum, it was stated that the protest today was a sign of solidarity and love shown by Muslims towards the Prophet and vowed not to let him be mocked.
“We will not let Prophet Muhammad be insulted. The protest today is to send a message that we condemn such a rude act (by the magazine) that insulted the Prophet,” said Abdul Hakim in his speech during the protest.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters later, Abdul Halim condemned the French government for being biased in allowing the publication of an unacceptable caricature under the guise of freedom of expression.
Ironically, before this the magazine’s publication was halted when they refused to apologise after publishing a caricature of the son of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
“This is double-standards. (Charlie Hebdo) purposely infuriated the Muslims through provocation. In fact, this has worsened the relationships of Muslims in France,” said Abdul Hakim.
The demonstration lasted for an hour plus and ended peacefully at around 3pm.
Similar protests have also been held by Muslims in other countries like Niger, Pakistan, Senegal, Jordan, Algeria, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria and Russia.
The publication of the caricature by Charlie Hebdo has also drawn flak from Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) secretary-general Iyad Ameen Madani, who said it was a “stupid” move and urged the authorities to take firm action on the magazine.
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