Turkey keeps up the pressure. In the aftermath of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s controversial release on the “mental health” of Emmanuel Macron, an official of the Turkish presidency said Sunday, October 25 that the “offensive cartoons” of the Prophet Muhammad were used to intimidate Muslims in Europe under the pretext of freedom of expression.
Presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun accused Europe of demonizing Muslims, as Jews had been in the 1920s.
The cartoons “are not linked to freedom of expression”
“The insidious policy of offensive cartoons, accusations of separatism against Muslims and raids of mosques are unrelated to freedom of expression,” Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter. “This is about intimidating Muslims and reminding them that they are welcome to continue to make Europe’s economy work, but that they will never be a part of it – against the backdrop of rhetoric about integration, ”he added. The official also argued that this attitude towards Muslims was “strangely familiar” and resembled “the demonization of European Jews in the 1920s”.
“Some European leaders today are not only targeting Muslims among them. They attack our values and our sacred texts, our prophet and our political leaders – our whole way of life, ”said Fahrettin Altun. Before adding that the Europeans had to realize that “Muslims won’t leave because you don’t want us.” We are not going to turn the other cheek when you insult us. We will defend ourselves and our own at all costs ”.
Battle of words between France and Turkey
The comments came as France recalled its ambassador to Turkey for consultations, following extremely violent remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday against Emmanuel Macron, over the cartoons affair. President Erdogan had questioned the “moral health” of the French president and invited him to “seek treatment”.
Emmanuel Macron had promised not to “renounce the caricatures” of the Prophet Muhammad during a tribute to Professor Samuel Paty, beheaded by an Islamist assailant after showing his students drawings of Muhammad during a course on the freedom of expression.
As a reminder, the representation of the prophets is strictly prohibited by Sunni Islam.
Two weeks ago, the Turkish president had already denounced as a provocation the declarations of the French president on “Islamist separatism” and the need to “structure Islam” in France.
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