KUALA LUMPUR • The Malaysian government said it strongly condemns provocative acts that would defame Islam, as Muslim activists in the country called for a boycott of French products amid growing anger globally over the French President's remarks that defended the cartoons of the Prophet.
Malaysia's Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement on Tuesday night that as a matter of principle, Malaysia strongly condemns any inflammatory rhetoric and provocative acts that seek to defame Islam.
He cited the populist speeches and publication of blasphemous caricatures depicting Prophet Muhammad as examples of actions that are disrespectful towards the religion and more than two billion Muslims all over the world.
"Malaysia is committed to upholding the freedom of speech and expression as fundamental human rights for as long as these rights are exercised with respect and responsibility in order to not infringe on or violate the rights of others," Datuk Seri Hishammuddin said. "In this context, to denigrate and tarnish the Prophet and to associate Islam with terrorism are certainly beyond the scope of such rights."
Umno Youth has also submitted a memorandum to the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur asking French President Emmanuel Macron to retract his statement and apologise to Muslims.
Mr Macron found himself at the centre of a global backlash, particularly in the Islamic world, over a remark he made at a memorial service for high school teacher Samuel Paty, who was murdered earlier this month in a terror attack.
Mr Paty was beheaded near his school in a northern suburb of Paris after he showed cartoons of the Prophet during a class on freedom of expression.
In an apparent defence of free speech, Mr Macron said France would not "give up" the caricatures and pledged to tackle extreme Islamism in the country, which outraged Muslim-majority nations. Protesters took to the streets in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq, Gaza and Turkey as France warned its citizens abroad to take extra precautions.
"As a democratic and moderate Islamic country with a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, Malaysia continues to promote and maintain harmonious relations and peaceful co-existence," said Mr Hishammuddin.
The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim), one of the country's largest Islamic organisations, has also criticised Mr Macron for making allegations "with elements of Islamophobia by hiding behind freedom of expression".
"As an organisation that promotes religious harmony, Abim condemns the brutal murder of Samuel Paty and, at the same time, strongly criticises the statement of the French President," its president Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said in a statement. He called on Muslims to boycott French goods.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also called on Turks to boycott French products. But European governments have come out in support of France, with leaders of Germany, Italy and the Netherlands publicly expressing their solidarity with Mr Macron.
