The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said that Malaysia strongly condemns the rhetorical and provocative actions that slander Islam and takes open hostility towards Muslims seriously.
He reaps some of these actions that the world can see recently through the publication of caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
“Malaysia upholds the right to freedom of speech and human rights when it is used responsibly and with respect, never to deny and violate the rights of others. In this context, to defaming and criticizing the Prophet Muhammad in Islam and associating Islam with ferocity are provocative in nature and do not respect the religion of Islam and more than two billion Muslims around the world,” he said.
Hishammuddin said that, as the response to the reprisal and anger of the Islamic world towards French President Emmanuel Macron’s openness regarding the right to broadcast caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad which was called insulting Islam.
Last week, Macron was made a bad response about the murder of a teacher, Samuel Paty, outside his school on the outskirts of Paris earlier this month, after he showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class while teaching the topic of freedom of speech.
The teacher was the target of an online hate campaign.
Hishammuddin said as a simple and democratic Islamic country with a multi-ethnic and religious society, Malaysia will continue to fight for and perpetuate peaceful and harmonious relations not only among the people but also in the context of an advanced global society.
“Malaysia will continue to cooperate with the international community in order to increase the practice of mutual respect between each religion and prevent religious extremism at all levels,” he said.
