Zarif terms insulting Muslims as abuse of freedom of speech

Tehran, Oct 26, IRNA - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a Twitter message on Monday described insulting Muslims as abuse of the freedom of speech. "Muslims are the primary victims of the "cult of hatred"—empowered by colonial regimes & exported by their own clients," Zarif wrote in his Twitter account. "Insulting 1.9B Muslims—& their sanctities—for the abhorrent crimes of such extremists is an opportunistic abuse of freedom of speech," he added. "It only fuels extremism," he noted. In recent years, the French magazine Charlie Hebdo has repeatedly published insulting cartoons about the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH). But the French government and President Emmanuel Macron, instead of taking steps to reduce propaganda attacks on Islam and Muslims, insulting religions and sanctities has been considered a measure of freedom of expression. Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the "unwise" excuses offered by the French officials will not fail to address extremism and violence but also stir more hatred than ever before. Behaviors undertaken by advocates of such an ideology cannot be used as an excuse to justify insults to the Holy Messenger (of Islam) who is respected by nearly two billion Muslims worldwide, he noted. "Disrespecting Islamic values and Muslims' beliefs is unacceptable," the spokesman stressed.