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Rabat – Twitter deleted on Thursday a tweet by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in which he said that Muslims have the right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past. The former Malaysian politician posted his tweet after the killing of three people at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice, southeastern France.
The 95-year-old politician posted the same message on Facebook, which the company also deleted. He later expressed the same thoughts on another blog.
While calling for retribution against what he sees as France’s disdain for Islam, however, the former Malaysian PM condemned the killing of French history teacher Samuel Paty.
Paty was murdered on October 16 by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee for exposing caricatures of prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of speech.
“The killing is not an act that as a Muslim I would approve,” said Mohamad. Hinting at his disapproval of the caricatures, however, he noted that freedom of expression does not include insulting people or their faith.
The Malaysian politician’s remarks come amid a highly sensitive time for Islam and Muslims in France and the West in general. Across France, the recent extremist incidents have exacerbated lingering feelings of Islamophobia and migrant-bashing.
Following the Nice attack, Macron deployed 4,000 military personnel to protect churches, places of worship, and schools.
Among the victims of the Notre-Dame Basilica attack is a woman whom the suspect decapitated.
Speaking after the identification of a 21-year-old suspect from Tunisia, French President Emmanuel Macron labeled the incident as an “Islamist terror attack.” French police also announced the arrest of a potential accomplice.
“Once again this morning, it was three of our compatriots who fell in Nice,” said Macron, adding that France is under attack.
Macron’s remarks on France being under attack mirrors his condemnation of “Islamic separatism” following the beheading of the history teacher.
The French president has strongly supported the display of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, saying that the caricatures are integral to France’s culture and values.
