In a statement issued following the recent insult to the Prophet of Islam in France, Ali Akbar Velayati said, "Following the global condemnation, we expected them to prevent publishing a magazine in France that have insulted the Prophet of Islam. However, the application of double standards and behaviors caused this polytheistic and anti-religious thinking to penetrate into the educational system of this country."
"Extremism and desecration of the Prophet (PBUH) are two sides of the same coin used by international Zionism and global arrogance against pure Islam," he added.
"False claimants of human rights, under the pretext of freedom of expression, commit the most insulting acts, crimes and evils, and in the face of the slightest opposition and criticism, they impose the most severe punishments and encounters, while they call themselves claimants of freedom of expression and human rights," Velayati noted.
He highlighted, "The great and unforgivable sin of the supporters of these actions, who, in the guise of freedom of expression and modernity, have endorsed and encouraged the insulters, will surely cause response from Muslims, freedom-lovers and justice-seekers in the world," adding, "It will lead to the growing unity and solidarity of the Muslims, the awakening of the individuals of the Islamic societies, and the universal condemnation of these sinister movements."
"Condemning the heinous crime and insult, the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought calls on all Muslims to thwart these anti-Islamic conspiracies while maintaining their vigilance and awareness," he added.
The statement came as French President Emmanuel Macron said his country “will not give up cartoons” insulting the prophets.
The desecration of Muslim religious sanctities is not rare in France.
In September, French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo republished the same cartoons about the Great Prophet and Islam that prompted a deadly attack on the magazine in 2015.
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