Sparing, on the one hand, its relationship with Paris and, on the other, the Islamist parties which urge it to react, Algiers seems to favor a gradual response to the controversy that ignites around the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and statements by French President Emmanuel Macron following the assassination of Samuel Paty.
On Saturday April 24, it was Abderrazak Makri, president of the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP, Muslim Brotherhood trend), who started the hostilities. “The French president continues to offend Muslims and attack Prophet Mohammed. It is a clear assault on every Muslim on this earth. It is a behavior which expresses a deep hatred towards Islam and Muslims, “the Islamist leader wrote in a statement, adding:” Every Muslim knowing his religion condemns terrorism whatever its form or its reasons. The assassination of the French teacher is condemnable and reprehensible despite the criminal act he committed by attacking the prophet of Islam. Makri then calls on the Algerian authorities, “at their head the Presidency of the Republic”, to denounce the declarations of the French president and to take “a suitable diplomatic, political and economic position”.
On the same October 24, another Islamist party, El Bina, asked the public authorities to “intervene to protect the Muslim community in France from the rise of hatred and racist practices following the non-responsible statements of the French president” . “The latest events that took place in France will not be without dangerous consequences on Paris’ relations with other countries,” warned Abdelkader Bengrina, president of this party.
A “rabid campaign”
These calls had an echo in Parliament. The Islamist deputy Khomri Samia questioned, Monday October 26, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum on “the absence of an official response to the overruns of France under the pretext of freedom of expression”. “What will be the steps adopted by the Algerian state in response to these serious attacks against our religion, our prophet and our values? Asked the MP.
And in less than 24 hours, two official reactions tried to calm the ardor of the Islamists.
First, that of the High Islamic Council (HCI), which depends on the presidency of the Republic, denouncing, on Monday, a “rabid campaign” tells the prophet of Islam. Without directly naming the French president, the official body considers that this is an “attack on all humanity”, especially “when it emanates from a leader who considers himself the guarantor of the values of fraternity , freedom and equality ”.
In conclusion, the HCI, while avoiding commenting on calls to boycott French products, prefers to call “the wise men of this world, religious and human rights organizations and the instances of dialogue between civilizations to face up to this inhuman extremist discourse ”and“ to work for the triumph of the way of reason which implies respect for common religious symbols and the fight against hatred and racism ”.
Prudence
The second official reaction, just as cautious, came from the Ministry of Religious Affairs on the same Monday, October 26. ” The statute [du prophète] cannot be moved by those who harm his noble person […]. It is hate speech that spreads grudge and racism between humans. We hate hurtful attacks and we abhor insult whatever its author or its motives “, reads in the press release of the ministry whose main purpose was to advise against, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, gatherings for celebrate mawlid al-nabawi, the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s birth, on October 28.
On the sidelines of official cautions, social networks offer more unbridled reactions, between those who openly campaign for the boycott of products made in France and those who are ironic about this campaign in a country where every controversy including the former colonizer is conducive to s ‘ignite. “Return of colonization: Boycott calls are pointless and must stop immediately », Comments a user, reporting the statements of the spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay. “In two days, this burlesque campaign will fade and the false dissatisfied will again line up in front of the French consulates for visas and consume French cheese and fresh yogurt. Down with France, long live France! », Protested the administrator of a debate page.
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