French Muslim Leader Clarifies Stance on Caricatures Amid Free Speech Debate

The president of the CFCM after his statement regretted his clumsiness when he spoke of renouncing certain rights to caricature without offending, such as putting the prophet in degrading poses. On October 27 on RMC, he reminded Muslims in France that they must defend the interests of the country, ignore the caricatures and renounce certain rights out of a "duty of fraternity".

Mohammed Moussaoui also stated that his remarks are not intended to please certain extremists, especially in view of the various reactions recorded. For some, this statement is a clumsiness that unfortunately encourages extremists. For others, the representative body of the Muslim faith in France has crossed the Rubicon and it is urgent to withdraw its legal existence.

Continuing his explanations, Moussaoui hinted that "we are going through difficult trials and that every word has a resonance". He claims not to have thought that his words would give the feeling of abdication in the face of extremists, adding that he rather wanted to say that the attachment to freedom of expression must constantly seek the spirit of fraternity in the face of terrorists and the perils of France. With a little hindsight, Moussaoui declares that he has understood the reactions provoked by his remarks and that he remains convinced that the caricatures of the prophet do not bother the extremists at all and that on the contrary it is their raison d’être and not a means of exacerbating vital tensions.

Furthermore, the president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith also recalled that we must be aware that an uncontrolled expression can fuel a victimizing posture with harmful consequences. Caricatures must therefore be made with vigilance because of the murders committed in the country and in Europe and whose perpetrators claimed to defend Islam. He also reaffirms that it is not legitimate to accuse France of Islamophobia and that we must therefore reject and denounce the reactions that attack the interests of the country, he supports.

Finally, Mohammed Moussaoui reiterated that neither France nor the French are Islamophobic. "No! France is not Islamophobic..." he thundered, stating that Muslims are full-fledged citizens who enjoy all their rights, such as the right to freely practice their religion, and therefore that they are not persecuted in France.