I welcome President Putin's statement which reaffirms my message that insulting our Holy Prophet PBUH is not " freedom of expression". We Muslims, esp Muslim leaders, must spread this message to leaders of the non-Muslim world to counter Islamophobia. https://t.co/JUKKvRYBSx
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 24, 2021
Artistic freedom had its limits and it shouldn't infringe on other's freedoms, he added.
The president further stated that Russia had evolved as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state and so Russians were used to respecting each other’s traditions, according to the report.
In some other countries, this respect came in short supply, he said.
A month later, a history teacher in France was beheaded after he had shown the caricatures in his class. In a ceremony dedicated to the teacher, French President Emmanuel Macron had vowed not to "give up [the] cartoons" and also made contentious remarks against "Islamists", who he said "want our future".
The caricatures were then also projected onto the facade of a building in one city and at protests around the country.
The move and the French president's remarks had drawn criticism from the Muslim World.
PM Imran had denounced them and said: "This is a time when President Macron could have put [a] healing touch and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation and marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalisation."
Meanwhile, the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan demanded that the government expel the French envoy and close the embassy, leading to protests with police and clashes across the country.
dawnNews