Rabat – The Secretary-General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, Ali al-Qaradaghi, has criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for his recent speech against Islam.
Macron delivered controversial remarks on Friday, stirring backlash among Muslims across the globe after he claimed Islam is in “crisis” worldwide.
Al Qaradaghi expressed surprise and “fear of societies of authorities addicted to making and creating enemies for itself.”
On Facebook, the top scholar told Macron to not “worry about Islam.”
He said that Islam has “never relied on the support of an authority or raised a sword in the face of those who opposed it.”
In response to Macron’s plans to unveil a law seeking to end “Islamist separatism in France,” the scholar said: “We pity a ruler who is still living in crisis and the specter of religious wars of the middle ages.”
If there is really a crisis across the world, al-Qaradaghi continued, it is because of the “double standards of some Western politicians.”
The scholar addressed Macron, saying the French president himself suffers his own “moral, humanitarian, and political crisis.”
Macron’s speech appeared to point the finger at Islam after recent violent incidents in France, including the stabbing attack near the former Charlie Hebdo office last week.
The stabbing came after Charlie Hebdo decided to share offensive caricatures of the prophet Muhammad.
New York Times reported that the suspect admitted to police that he wanted to set the building on fire in response to the caricatures.
Following criticism against the satirical magazine, Macron backed Charlie Hebdo, denouncing “Islamic separatism.”
In Friday’s speech, Macron renewed his vows to enact a law to “strengthen secularism in France.” The law also seeks to stop a program that allows the entry of imams and Arabic teacher to France from several Muslim countries, including Morocco.
The president said Islam must be “freed from foreign interference in France.”
In response to Macron’s speech, al-Qaradaghi said Islam “cannot bear the burden of fake cartoon leaders who created a crisis with your sponsorship.”
The top Muslim scholar shared several posts to condemn Macron’s remarks, which came amid heated controversy in France and a rise in Islamophobia.
In another post, al-Qaradaghi said he is proud of Muslim men and women who took a stand in defense of Islam after Macron’s speech.
“How proud I am of the support, interaction, and zeal that the common people of Islam showed after the statements of President Macron,” he said.
Al-Qaradaghi was not the first to denounce Macron’s statement.
Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy (AIRA) also weighed in on the controversy, saying Macron’s “accusations” are far from the “true nature of Islam.”
The AIRA also recalled that Islamic law or Sharia calls for “tolerance and peace among all human beings.”
The statement, quoted by Daily News Egypt, stressed that Macron’s remarks undermine the “joint efforts among religious figures to eliminate racism and bullying against religions.”
