KARACHI, Pakistan

Hundreds gathered near the French Consulate in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi on Wednesday to protest the rising wave of Islamophobia in the European nation.

Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), a mainstream religious party, vehemently denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s anti-Islam remarks and the insulting caricatures of Prophet Muhammad being publicized in France.

They carried banners and placards with messages such as “Down with Charlie Hebdo,” “Down with France,” and “Sacrilege of Prophet Muhammed is unacceptable” as they marched towards the French consulate in Karachi’s upscale Clifton town.

In recent weeks, Macron has attacked Islam and the Muslim community, accusing Muslims in France of “separatism” and describing Islam as “a religion in crisis all over the world.”

Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine infamous for printing anti-Islamic caricatures, republished cartoons insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad earlier this year.

Police contingents blocked nearby roads with barricades and stopped protesters roughly 200 meters (656 feet) from the heavily guarded French Consulate.

Speaking to Andaolu Agency, JI spokesperson Zahid Askari accused security forces of blocking several city roads to restrict the rally, but said over 1,000 people still managed to gather near the building.

Following talks between the protesters and local administration, JI lawmaker Syed Abdul Rasheed was allowed to hand over a letter with demands to consulate officials.

The document conveyed Pakistanis’ anger over the recent move to project the blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad on French government buildings.

That happened on Oct. 21 as part of a tribute to Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded in a Paris suburb earlier this month after showing the cartoons in class during a discussion on freedom of speech.

“We cannot accept attacks on Islam and Prophet Muhammad under the guise of freedom of speech. These have nothing to do with freedom of speech,” Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, JI’s Karachi chief, said at the rally.

“This is just a smear campaign that is part of the rising tide of Islamophobia in the Western world, mainly Europe.”

He urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and all Muslim world leaders to take a “joint and strong” stand against France and other countries guilty of such acts.

Otherwise, the Muslim world will never forgive you, he warned.

Rehman also demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador to Pakistan./aa

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned the French charge d'affaires over publication of insulting cartoons purportedly of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, diplomatic sources said.

The act was strongly condemned, and the charge d'affaires was told that "this despicable attack [by French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo] on personal rights and religious beliefs cannot be considered under the freedom of press and expression, and that French authorities are expected to take the necessary political and legal steps on these drawings that go beyond the limits of freedom of expression.”

The source said that the issue of Armenians targeting Turkish citizens in France was also discussed.

The ministry, according to the insider, asked the French authorities to take the necessary measures for the protection of Turkish citizens, and Muslims in general.

Earlier in the day, top Turkish officials, including Vice President Fuat Oktay, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, and Omer Celik, the spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, blasted the French weekly for the despicable images.

While Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey will take up the matter internationally, Erdogan filed a criminal complaint against the magazine for insulting him.

The development comes amid widespread criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron for his attacks on Islam, and the Muslim community.

Earlier this month, Macron described Islam as “a religion in crisis," and announced plans for tougher laws to tackle “Islamist separatism” in France.

Tensions further escalated after the the murder of a high school teacher, Samuel Patty, on Oct. 16, who showed blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.

Insulting cartoons by Charlie Hebdo were also projected on buildings in a few cities.

Macron defended the cartoons, saying France would “not give up our cartoons,” causing outrage across the Muslim world.

Besides condemnations from Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, among others, there have been calls to boycott French products, protests, as well as attacks on French websites./aa

ANKARA (AA)

Blasting the French magazine Charlie Hebdo's offensive cartoons, the Turkish president said on Wednesday that hostility towards Islam is "spreading like cancer" in Europe.

"Unfortunately, we are going through a period in which the hostility towards Islam, Muslims and disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad is spreading like cancer, especially among the leaders in Europe," Erdogan told his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group.

Pointing out the rising offensive attitudes against Islam and Muslims, Erdogan said that they are being carried out under the guise of freedom of expression.

"No Muslim can be a terrorist, nor can any terrorist be a Muslim because "a terrorist is a black-hearted, bloody murderer who does not hesitate to kill innocents to achieve his own goals," he said.

On the recent publication of Charlie Hebdo which has published "loathsome so-called cartoons" purportedly of Erdogan after insulting Islam and Muslims, the Turkish leader said he believes that "enemies of Islam and Turkey will get drown in a swamp of hate which they have entered for the sake of freedom. That are the signs of Europe's return to its barbaric era."

President Erdogan: No Muslim can be a terrorist, nor can any terrorist be a Muslim

'I did not look at cartoons'

Erdogan added that he even did not look at the so-called cartoon since he considered it disgraceful to give credit to such immoral publications even just to see what they did: "What am I? There is no need that I say anything about these dishonorable people who insult my beloved prophet, the most one beloved." 

On Wednesday, prosecutors in the capital Ankara launched criminal probe into the magazine over insulting content which was followed by criminal complaint filed by Erdogan.

"It is a matter of honor for us to stand sincerely against the attacks targeting our prophet, who honored Mecca, Medina, Asia, Africa, Europe, the whole world, all the world and all the times [...] We would die not the day we gave our last breath, but the day when we kept silent and unresponsive in the face of these attacks," he added.

"France and Europe in general do not deserve these vicious, provocative, ugly, hateful policies of [French President Emmanuel] Macron and those with the same mentality," he said, referring to French president's remarks encouraging hostility towards Islam.

Erdogan also called on Europeans to take an initiative against this dangerous trend to have a bright future for themselves and their children. 

Drawing to Macron's visit to Lebanon following the massive explosion at the Port of Beirut in August, Erdogan reiterated that Macron was not welcomed by Lebanese people, which he said was a sign that the French president could not achieve his goals in that country.

Erdogan: It is a matter of honor for us to stand sincerely against the attacks on our prophet

From 'separatism' to insulting cartoons

Following the the recent publication of insulting contents by Charlie Hebdo, Macron has defended blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, saying France would "not give up our cartoons," causing outrage across the Muslim world.

Earlier this month, Macron accused French Muslims of "separatism" and claimed Islam is "a religion in crisis all over the world."

Tensions further escalated following the murder of a French school teacher after he showed his students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during one of his classes on freedom of expression.

Insulting cartoons by Charlie Hebdo were also projected on buildings in a few cities. 

Earlier this year, the magazine republished cartoons insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

Several Arab countries as well as Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan have condemned Macron's attitude toward Muslims and Islam, with Erdogan saying the French leader needs "mental treatment."

With calls to boycott French products circulating online in many countries, Erdogan has urged a boycott by Turkish consumers as well.

Erdogan: Turkey's power is enough to rid Syria of all terror organizations

'Turkey capable of clearing Syria of terror groups'

Also addressing the latest situation in Syria, Erdogan said: "The Syrian people pay the price of the strategy games of forces coming from outside the region as well as the regime and the terrorist groups under foreign forces' control with their blood and lives."

He underscored that Turkey cannot sit back and watch this hypocrisy.

"Turkey's power is enough to rid Syria of all terror groups," he said, reiterating that Turkey has no design on anyone's territory since its only aim is "to safeguard own security and to ensure the peace and well-being of the Syrian people."

Mentioning the recent airstrike in northwestern Syria, Erdogan said that Russian attacks on Syrian National Army's training center is a sign that lasting peace not desired in region.

"No one can deny that our operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, Peace Spring, and Spring Shield, as well as our firm stance in Idlib, are based on concrete security concerns, not just an excuse or delusion," he added.

He went on saying that the presence of the terror groups in areas along the Syrian border that do not fall under Turkey's control and their threat to Turkey is still growing despite all the promises made.

"Again, I repeat that if the promises are not fulfilled, we have legitimate cause to act whenever we need to eliminate all terrorists from the areas we have identified," Erdogan added.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

Phone call with Putin over Upper Karabakh

Mentioning his efforts for the solution of the Upper Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Erdogan said he had a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

"We had a contact with Putin. We said let's put an end to this [issue] in the Caucasus. We can solve this together," he said.

The Turkish leader said he suggested a meeting between Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and another meeting with himself and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

"Let's take a sincere step on this issue. We should finish this," Erdogan said of his phone conversation with Putin, which he said was "a nice talk."

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and since then Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces, even violating three humanitarian cease-fires since Oct. 10.

Multiple UN resolutions demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

Turkey has steadfastly supported Azerbaijan in the conflict, stressing its right to regain illegally occupied land, and decried Armenian forces breaking cease-fires and attacking innocent civilians.

KHARTOUM

A Sudanese artist has refused a French award in protest over the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad and the French president’s recent anti-Islam remarks.

Artist Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq will not accept the French Republic’s Medal of Arts and Letters following the issue of the cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad, read a report by Sudan News Agency on Wednesday.

Ibrahim’s stance was also a “response towards the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron in which he said that the drawings will continue,” it added.

Ibrahim, born in 1939 and one of Sudan’s most prominent fine artists, was to be awarded the French Medal of Arts and Letters on Nov. 2 at the French Cultural Institute in Khartoum.

In recent weeks, President Macron has drawn widespread criticism for his attacks on Islam and the Muslim community.

Earlier this month, he announced a controversial plan to tackle what he calls “Islamic separatism” in France, describing Islam as “a religion in crisis all over the world.”

Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine infamous for printing anti-Islamic caricatures, republished cartoons insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad earlier this year.

Macron has defended the blasphemous caricatures, saying France would “not give up our cartoons” after the brutal murder of Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded in a Paris suburb after showing the cartoons in class during a discussion on freedom of speech.

A wave of anger and anti-France protests has swept across the Islamic world and campaigns have been launched in some countries to boycott French products./aa

JAKARTA, Indonesia

French President Emmanuel Macron's statements associating Islam with terrorism was very inappropriate and left wounds on peace between religious communities, said an Indonesian Catholic pastor on Wednesday.

"Terrorism has nothing to do with any religion in the world, including Islam, because Islam is a religion of mercy to all creation," Antonius Benny Susetyo told Anadolu Agency.

The Catholic leader said Pope Francis has emphasized that religion cannot be linked to violence or terrorism as it is a gift for peace and unity as stated in the Abu Dhabi Declaration -- Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together -- signed in 2019 between Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb.

The religious freedom advocate described terrorism as manipulation of religion by a handful of individuals to achieve their interests related to power.

"The controversial statement disrupted Muslims' and Christians’ steps to build brotherhood and peace," he added.

Pastor Susetyo also expressed his hope that country leaders all over the world would be careful in issuing statements and avoid unwise remarks linking terrorism to any religion.

"The struggle to strengthen humanity and justice between religious communities should not be tainted with such controversial statements," he added.

Macron has sparked outrage across the Muslim world by accusing French Muslims of "separatism", and describing Islam as "a religion in crisis".

This coincided with the murder of a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in a class. Macron paid tribute to him, saying "France will not give up our cartoons."

Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and several Arab countries have censured Macron's attitude toward Muslims and Islam, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the French leader needs "mental treatment"./aa

PARIS 

Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Derian on Wednesday said that those offending the Prophet Muhammad will draw the ire of the whole Muslim world.

“Whoever makes any insult against Islam and the Prophet will put himself in a face-off with all Muslims around the world,” Derian said in a ceremony marking the prophet’s birthday on Wednesday.

He said offensive campaigns against Islam and the Prophet on the pretext of freedom of expression “amount to a continued aggression on all Muslims around the world”.

On Oct. 2, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a controversial plan to tackle what he calls “Islamic separatism” in France, claiming that the faith of Islam is in “crisis” all over the world and promising to “free Islam in France from foreign influences”.

Last week, Macron defended blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, saying France would “not give up our cartoons” after the brutal murder of high school teacher Samuel Paty, who showed provocative caricatures in a class.

The past few days have witnessed the republication of cartoons insulting Prophet Muhammad in France which sparking a wave of anger and protests across the Islamic world and campaigns have been launched in some countries to boycott French products./aa

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

India carried out a genocide of 250,000 Muslims in Kashmir in 1947, according to Sardar Masood Khan, the president of Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir.   

Khan said nearly half a million Kashmiris have been killed, maimed, blinded, tortured, and forcibly disappeared by Indian forces over the past 73 years. 

His comments were part of a conversation with Anadolu Agency in connection with Oct. 27, the day of Kashmir’s accession to India in 1947. 

It is observed as a “Black Day” in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, viewed as the day Indian forces landed in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, to force the princely state’s accession to India. 

In a wide-ranging interview, Khan spoke about the controversial emergence of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmiri uprising of 1947, and several other issues that have since defined the fate of Kashmir and its people.   

Anadolu Agency (AA): What is the significance of Oct. 27 in the history of Jammu and Kashmir?    

Sardar Masood Khan (SMK): Oct. 27 is marked as a Black Day by the people of Pakistan and Kashmir. 

It was on this day in 1947 that India invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied a large chunk of the state. 

Immediately after its deployment, the occupying Indian force started brutalizing the people of Kashmir and carried out the first genocide and anti-Muslim pogrom in Jammu. 

Some 250,000 Muslims were killed at the time and hundreds of thousands more were displaced and pushed to Pakistan. 

Since then, nearly half a million people have been killed, maimed, blinded, tortured, and disappeared. 

Broadly speaking, we see Oct. 27 as the starting point of the genocide of Kashmiris.   

AA: With the hindsight of 73 years, what do you think are the errors that have led to the emergence of the Kashmir problem?   

SMK: As far as the Kashmiris are concerned, I would say that they have not committed any error. 

They have aspired to achieve freedom, first, from the Dogra dynasty’s despotic rule and, then, from Indian occupation. 

In hindsight, though, if Sheikh Abdullah, the most popular leader of Kashmir in 1947, had not joined India, we could have saved Kashmiris from serial massacres spanning decades. 

That one miscalculation, that one fatal misstep, plunged the Kashmiris into this dark night of oppression.  

AA: What was the tribal raid and how has it impacted the Kashmir situation?  

SMK: The so-called tribal raid has been grossly distorted by some Indian historians to twist the truth about Kashmir. 

During the months of August, September, and October of 1947, war veterans of the territory now known as Azad Kashmir [Pakistani-administered Kashmir] started a war of independence against the maharaja’s [title of nobility among Hindus] tyrannical rule. 

After driving the maharaja’s Dogra army out of the Azad Kashmir area, the people of Jammu and Kashmir would have liberated the entire territory if India had not intervened militarily on Oct. 27.

Dates are important in this context. Tribal volunteers entered Jammu and Kashmir on Oct. 22, 1947, and swiftly moved to Baramulla and Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. 

What Indian storytellers do not tell the world is that the maharaja, in collusion with the Indian leadership and the [British] viceroy, had already brought in and deployed regular armed personnel from the small princely states of Patiala, Kapurthala, and East Punjab, and unleashed them against freedom fighters. 

This was an invasion of the territory before the invasion by the Indian armed forces. 

If facts were cited, India would have had no justification to legitimize its invasion on the basis of the so-called tribal raid and a dubious instrument of accession extracted coercively from the maharaja. 

Let it be understood that these were all Indian machinations to grab the territory of Jammu and Kashmir without the consent of the people, and to mislead them into believing that the measure was temporary and would be followed by a plebiscite.  

AA: Oct. 27 also signifies the establishment of the government of Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Can you compare the two parts of Kashmir in terms of political empowerment?    

SMK: There cannot be a comparison between Azad Kashmir [Pakistani-administered Kashmir] and Indian-occupied Kashmir [Indian-administered Kashmir]. 

Azad Kashmir is free; the occupied territory is captured and besieged. 

We have civil liberties and fundamental freedoms on our side; in occupied Kashmir, all rights of the people are being trampled. 

Foreign visitors who have visited Azad Kashmir would testify that there are no military barricades, no checkpoints, no concertina wires to hamper the free movement of people, and no concentration of troops in towns and cities.  

On the other side, 900,000 troops have been deployed to make life a living hell for the people. 

Killings, blinding people, incarcerations, torture, disappearances, and sexual abuse have been normalized to the point of becoming a permanent feature. 

In Azad Kashmir, we focus on the rule of law, good governance, and socioeconomic development. On the other side, even development projects are forced down the throats of the captive Kashmiri population. 

Of course, we have our own problems with regards to promotion and protection of human rights, as would be the case in any other developing part of the world. 

But across the Line of Control, a colony has been established under foreign occupation and alien domination. People are disenfranchised and dispossessed. 

As I speak to you today, hundreds of thousands of Hindus are being transferred from all parts of India to the occupied state, in order to permanently change its demographic composition. 

There is no precedent of such an illicit mass transfer of population, in an organized fashion, in this century or the last. 

This is an outrage that has to be stopped at all costs.   

AA: It was said that Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir will be a base camp for efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue. What has been done to achieve this goal?   

SMK: Yes, it’s true. Azad Kashmir [Pakistani-administered Kashmir] was established as a base camp for the liberation of the rest of Kashmir. That continues to be the abiding mission of the Azad state.

Of course, despite our best efforts, using all sorts of political, diplomatic and other means, we have not succeeded in securing freedom for our brothers and sisters in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir [Indian-administer Jammu and Kashmir]. 

We work in tandem with Pakistan, which has been a window for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to project their voices to the multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, and capitals around the world. 

We will continue our struggle until we achieve our objective of ensuring that the people of Jammu and Kashmir exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.   

AA: Many people, especially from Indian-administered Kashmir, have voiced grievances on what they see as Pakistan’s failures on the diplomatic front with regards to Kashmir. As a former diplomat, what do you feel is the reason for these sentiments?  

SMK: There have been many breakthroughs on Kashmir since Aug. 5 last year. 

Kashmir has been raised and discussed at the UN Security Council, albeit in informal sessions. The General Assembly and the Security Council have been apprised of Indian brutalities and an intensifying human rights crisis. 

After decades, leading parliaments – the European Parliament, US Congress, UK Parliament – have held hearings or plenaries on Kashmir, something unheard of in the past. 

The mainstream international media has held India accountable for its excessive measures, including communication blockades and bans on journalism. 

India’s reputation as a state has suffered because of its illegal actions in Kashmir, its discriminatory treatment of Muslims in India, and its nuclear saber-rattling. 

We know this is not enough. We have to fight against an environment of realpolitik which condones and underwrites India’s blatant crimes against humanity in Kashmir. 

The challenge is to break this vicious cycle of impunity, which empowers India to violate the rights of the Kashmiris without any fear of prosecution or accountability. 

We are, however, eternally grateful to the people and leadership of Turkey for their courageous stand on Kashmir. 

President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has spoken at the UN General Assembly, in Pakistan’s Parliament, and in Delhi emphasizing the need for the Kashmir dispute to be resolved in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiris. 

We count Turkey’s staunch support and solidarity on Kashmir as an achievement. I request Anadolu Agency to convey our deepest gratitude to the Turkish people and leadership./aa