Rabat – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 23 that insulting the Prophet Muhammad is not a freedom of expression.
During a press conference, Putin emphasized that insults to the prophet are a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam.”
Putin also slammed the posting of photos of Nazis on websites, saying that such acts give rise to “extremist reprisals.”
The Russian president said freedom of expression should not “infringe on other freedoms.”
Putin argued that Russia has evolved as a “multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, so Russians are used to respecting each other’s traditions. In some other countries, this respect comes in short supply.”
The Russian president cited examples of offending Islam and its prophet, including Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The French magazine published a series of offensive and shocking caricatures against Islam, as recently as September 2020.
French President Emmanuel Macron, however, backed the magazine, attributing the acts to freedom of expression.
“We must realize that this law is the law chosen by the French people… this is the law of the French people… These cartoons and articles that shocked you are not issued by the French authorities or the French president,” Macron said in 2020.
