MPR Deputy Chairman Syarief Hasan Criticized The French President For The Prophet Muhammad Cartoon

Deputy Chairman of the MPR RI from the Democrat Party faction, Syarief Hasan. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) from the Democratic Party faction, Syarief Hasan, strongly criticized the attitude shown by French President Emmanuel Macron for allowing the insult to Prophet Muhammad SAW to take place in France on the pretext of freedom of expression.

Syarief Hasan sees cartoons that insult the Prophet Muhammad SAW are not part of the justified freedom of expression.

"France as a country that adheres to a democratic system should place respect for religion and belief as part of human rights that must be upheld," said Syarief Hasan, quoted from Antara, Saturday, October 31.

Moreover, he said, based on the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on (October 25 2018) which is located in the City of Strasbourg, France has determined that blasphemy against religion is not part of freedom of expression.

"As a country that upholds law and human rights, France should take steps in line with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights," he said.

He emphasized that the French President should immediately stop igniting this increasingly widespread problem. "The French president should be wiser to see that the world's Muslims are injured by the defamation of the Prophet Muhammad," he said.

According to him, the French President should have stopped this problem and withdrew all his statements that often cornered Islam and created world uproar.

This Democrat Party High Council member urged the Indonesian Government to take decisive action in addressing these problems.

"The Indonesian government, which has summoned the French Ambassador, must ensure that Indonesia's message is truly heard so that it does not cause a counter-productive polemic in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic," he stressed.

Syarief Hasan also advised all leaders in the world to protect the rights of minority groups, especially the rights of religion and belief.

"The UN Human Rights Council Resolution in Geneva on (March 26, 2009) has emphasized that every country upholds the right of everyone to practice their religion and beliefs with a sense of security. So, countries in the world must uphold this resolution," he said.

Syarief also encouraged the message of peace as a hallmark of Islam, which is rahmatan lil alamin to be echoed among Muslims.

"We must convey the aspirations of the Muslim world wisely and try not to be provoked. We must show that Islam is a religion that is a blessing and a messenger of peace for the entire universe, as the message of the Prophet Muhammad," he said.

He also considered Indonesia as a country with the largest Muslim population in the world as having a moral responsibility to voice the narratives and aspirations of the world's Muslims.

"The government must really take advantage of the bargaining position as a country with the largest Muslim population in the world to bring the message of world Islam and realize the goal of the Indonesian state to create world peace," he said.