Southeast Asian Muslim Country Leaders Respond to Macron's Remarks About Islam

KUALA LUMPUR — Several leaders of Muslim countries have condemned France and President Emmanuel Macron for their response following the beheading and murder of a school teacher who showed caricatures of Prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of speech. 

In Southeast Asia, home to a large part of the world's Muslim population, reactions were moderate, with most leaders condemning the generalist approach of Macron's rhetoric towards Muslims and pleading for a better understanding of the true nature of Islam by the West. An exception was the Malaysian ex prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, whose tweet was removed by Twitter after being flagged by the social media platform as “glorifying violence.”  

The chain of reactions comes in the wake of violent acts committed by radicalized Muslims in France during the last two weeks. In the latest terror attack, which happened on Oct. 29, a woman was beheaded and two others stabbed and killed in the Notre Dame church of Nice. 

On Oct. 16, Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher at a school in the suburbs of Paris, was beheaded as he was returning home after school by Abdoullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old Moscow-born Chechen ethnic. Several days before, Paty had shown his students the controversial cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad in satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo which sparked a terrorist attack on the magazine's headquarters in 2015. Paty had offered students the opportunity to avoid viewing the cartoons if they so chose. But word had spread among Islamist groups in Paris about the teacher’s methods.

Anzorov was shot dead by the French police shortly after committing the crime. 

In a commemoration event held Oct. 21 at the Sorbonne University in Paris, President Macron posthumously awarded Paty with the Legion of Honour, France's top civil award. Macron said that the teacher was slain for representing the secular, democratic values of France. In the same speech the leader promised to continue upholding those values. 

“We will defend the freedom that you taught so well, and we will strongly proclaim the concept of laïcité [secularism],” he said. “We will not disavow the cartoons, the drawings, even if others recoil.”

Leaders of the Islamic world condemned Macron for encouraging depictions of Prophet Muhammad, which are forbidden in Islam, citing lack of sensitivity toward other religions. 

The backlash was intensified by a statement previously made by the French president on Oct. 2 during a visit in a neighborhood 20 kilometers from the place of the crime. Macron said:

What we must tackle is Islamist separatism. A conscious, theorized, political-religious project is materializing through repeated deviations from the Republic’s values, which is often reflected by the formation of a counter-society as shown by children being taken out of school, the development of separate community sporting and cultural activities serving as a pretext for teaching principles which aren’t in accordance with the Republic’s laws. It’s indoctrination and, through this, the negation of our principles, gender equality and human dignity.

The problem is this ideology, which claims that its own laws are superior to the Republic’s. And as I’ve often said, I’m not asking any of our citizens to believe or not believe, or believe a little or moderately – that’s none of the Republic’s business. I’m asking every citizen, of all religions and none, to abide wholeheartedly by all the Republic’s laws. And in this radical Islamism – since this is at the heart of the matter let’s talk about it and name it – a proclaimed, publicized desire, a systematic way of organizing things to contravene the Republic’s laws and create a parallel order, establish other values, develop another way of organizing society which is initially separatist, but whose ultimate goal is to take it over completely. And this is gradually resulting in the rejection of the freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and the right to blaspheme, and in us becoming insidiously radicalized.

Macron spoke about the need to defend France's secular values against Islamist radicalism, announcing an upcoming bill in December that would strengthen the separation between church and state in the country. He described Islam as "a religion that is currently experiencing a crisis all over the world” and he suggested the nation needed to forge a type of “Enlightenment Islam in France.”

In response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested that the French President needed “some sort of mental treatment” over his attitude toward Islam and called for a boycott of French products. Leaders of Muslim countries — including in Algeria, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia — commented on the issue, expressing their disagreement toward Macron's words which they saw as disrespectful toward Muslims around the world. 

Malaysian politicians, religious leaders slam France and Macron 

In Malaysia, a country with a 60% Muslim population, offenses against Islam are punished under the Sharia law and under the Penal Code. Prosecutions for blasphemy usually target offenders of Islam, but an insult to other religions can give rise to prosecution under the Penal Code. 

The most controversial reaction came from Malaysia's former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, who posted on his blog and social media a statement slamming Macron's rhetoric about Islam and arguing about the differences in ideology between Malaysia and the West. 

Speaking about the Muslim approach to the trauma of French colonialism, the 95-year-old ex-PM said that “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past. But by and large the Muslims have not applied the “eye for an eye” law. Muslims don't. The French shouldn't. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people's feelings.” 

The statement, released on Oct. 29, only a couple of hours after the latest terror attack in France, drew uproar from Malaysians who condemned the former prime minister's words on social media before the post was first flagged and then removed by Twitter for “glorifying violence.”

France's Secretary of State for the Digital Sector, Cédric O, urged the managing director of Twitter in France to immediately suspend Mahathir's account. “If not, Twitter would be an accomplice to a formal call for murder,” he said in a post on the same social media platform. 

Matahir Mohamad’s Tweet, which has since been flagged and removed from the platform.

Compared to Mahathir's statement, other Malaysian politicians had more moderate reactions. 

The foreign affairs minister, Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, showed in a statement issued on Oct. 28 his concerns over “the growing open hostilities towards Muslims,” condemning “any inflammatory rhetoric and provocative acts that seek to defame the religion of Islam,” hinting at the French president's remarks and the publication of the controversial caricatures. 

He said that while “Malaysia is committed to upholding the freedom of speech and expression as fundamental rights, [...] to denigrate and tarnish Islam's Holy Prophet and to associate Islam with terrorism are certainly beyond the scope of such rights.” Following the statement, the Chargés d'affaires of the Embassy of France in Kuala Lumpur was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express Malaysia’s concern on the growing hostilities, hate speech and defamation of Islam. 

Azmin Ali, Senior Minister for Economy and the Minister of International Trade and Industry in the ruling administration, accused Macron of hate speech and Islamophobia. “In expressing his myopic and patronizing views on how Muslims ought to practice their religion and castigating Islam as a religion ‘which needs enlightenment,’ the French president has made bare his Islamophobia as well as intellectual capacity to grasp the real issues that impact the world,” the minister said in a statement released on Oct. 28. 

The Malaysian Islamic Party, the third biggest political party in Malaysia and part of the governing alliance, sent a memorandum to the French embassy asking for the withdrawal of the Legion of Honor distinction awarded to Samuel Paty, calling the French president to withdraw all provocative speeches and accusations against Islam, requesting a ban on the publication of Charlie Hebdo magazine, calling for the cancelation of the upcoming French church and state separation bill and an end of discrimination towards Muslims in France. The memorandum also called for a boycott of French products.

Representatives of the Islamic Party Malaysia pose holding the memorandum in front of the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur, on October 27. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

The boycott of French products and companies was the central message of a civil society organization, the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association, who asked the Malaysian public to stop using French products and the Malaysian government to suspend cooperation with French companies. 

“We are calling our stakeholders to draw a plan together. We are discussing with consumers, supermarkets, NGOs to make sure the message is clear,” said Nadzim Johan, chief activist of the association. “We want to send out a signal that this kind of thing shouldn't be done, we should respect one another although we don't like the other.” 

The religious leaders condemned both the acts of violence and Macron's words while asking Muslims in Malaysia to keep their reactions in line with the laws of the country and Islam's teachings. 

The Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs, Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, currently in quarantine recovering from Covid-19, voiced his concerns in a letter sent to the ambassador of France in Malaysia, along with a book about the life of prophet Muhammad. He condemned acts of violence and extremism, citing the Qur'an, and called for a peaceful co-existence between religions in the spirit of Prophet Muhammad's teachings.

Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri’s letter.

Abdul Aziz bin Jusoh, Deputy director-general of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, the state authority on Islam, condemned the publication of caricatures by the French satirical magazine, but also advised Muslims in Malaysia to act in the spirit of Islam in their response to the latest events: “Muslims in Malaysia in particular to be careful in any response in dealing with this issue so as not to do something that is outside the boundaries of religion and law. This is because of fears that it could create an atmosphere of disharmony between believers of various religions,” he said. 

In response to the Malaysian leaders reaction, the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur issued a statement on October 28 further explaining France's stance on secularism: 

“The French State does not favor or stigmatize any religion and guarantees their peaceful co-existence within the laws and principles of the Republic. The President of the Republic did not target the Muslim community in France at all but only an ideology – radical Islamism – that should be isolated and fought.”  

As a conclusion, the statement showed appreciation towards the fact that Malaysia's political leaders did not support in their statements the calls for French products boycott of other organizations in Malaysia. 

“The declarations of Malaysian dignitaries focus mostly on criticizing the French people's quasi 'sacred' perception of freedom of expression,” said Sophie Lemiere, political anthropologist and Associate Researcher, Chaire d'histoire contemporaine du monde Arabe, Institut du Monde Contemporain, Collège de France. “The fantasy of 'the clash of civilizations' or 'Muslims vs others' is mere political posturing. In fact, most Malaysian politicians ignore the underlying cause of the terrible violence that occurred in France.” 

Indonesia's religious leaders called for calm

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, cannot be considered either an Islamic nor a secular country, Islam and the state apparatus being intertwined and regulating each other. Usually Indonesia promotes a moderate Islam, and a peaceful religious pluralism is at the core of Pancasila, the foundational philosophical theory governing the nation. The response of leaders in Indonesia also came from a moderate standpoint. 

The first to respond was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, who summoned the French Ambassador in Indonesia, Olivier Chambard, for a meeting at the ministry on Oct. 27. 

“During the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the French president's statement which insulted Islam,” said Teuku Faizasyah, spokesperson of the ministry. 

“Freedom of expression should not be exercised in ways that tarnish the honor, sanctity and sacredness of religious values and symbols. As the largest Muslim-populated country and the third largest democracy in the world, Indonesia urges the global community to put forward unity and religious tolerance, particularly amidst the on-going pandemic,” the ministry said in an official statement following the meeting, published on its website on Oct. 30. 

Minister of Religion, Fachrul Razi, supported the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement published on the ministry's website on October 29. Radzi also reminded that Islam does not allow taking justice into one's own hands, especially by committing murder. He appealed to Muslims in Indonesia not to be provoked into anarchist action. 

"The greatness of Islam cannot be upheld by violating human values," he said.

The Indonesian Nahdlatul Ulama, the world largest Muslim organization with over 90 million members, called for calm while criticizing the French president's rhetoric. The Secretary General of the organization, Ahmad Helmy Faishal Zaini, said in a statement published on the organization's website that Macron's words are “very tendentious, inflame Islamophobia and have a major impact on world peace.” 

He added that “Radicalism and extremism have no religion. They can be employed by any person of any religion. So, spreading propaganda that Islam is a radical and extremist religion is very far from the truth and facts.” 

Zaini joined other Indonesian religious leaders in their call for calm. “We ask all Muslims and NU members to be calm and not be provoked. We encourage the government to actively take diplomatic steps to find the best solution to address this situation,” he said. 

Muhyiddin Junaidi, the deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Indonesia's top Muslim clerical body, strongly criticized Emmanuel Macron's statements about cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, calling for a boycott of French products in an official letter released on Oct. 30:

"The Indonesian Muslims do not want to make enemies, they only want to live side by side in peace and harmony, but if the leaders of the French state do not want it and do not want to develop an attitude of tolerance and mutual respect, then Muslims, especially the Indonesian Muslims who also have self-respect and dignity are ready to repay their attitudes and actions by boycotting all products that come from France, until President Emmanuel Macron retracts his words and apologizes to Muslims worldwide.” 

He too appealed to Muslims in Indonesia to show their opposition towards the recent events in a peaceful and civilized manner.   

Overall, the response of the Indonesian leaders is in line with the moderate Islam promoted by Indonesia. “The fact that the response was softer in Indonesia is not a surprise,” said Hew Wai Weng, research fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, National University of Malaysia. “Unlike Malaysia, which wants to see itself as a leader in the 'Muslim World', Indonesia doesn't strongly position itself as such.”

Alexandra Radu is a photojournalist based in Bucharest, Romania. She has been published in Al Jazeera, the New York Times, Religion News Service, Reuters and AP, and her images have won awards at the Religion News Association Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence in 2017, 2018 and 2019.