{"id":20167,"date":"2020-11-06T04:42:41","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T04:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/?p=20167"},"modified":"2020-11-06T04:42:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T04:42:41","slug":"scholars-thinkers-address-french-nation-call-for-countering-islamophobia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/scholars-thinkers-address-french-nation-call-for-countering-islamophobia\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholars, Thinkers Address French Nation, Call for Countering Islamophobia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0(IQNA) \u2013 A number of scholars and thinkers from different parts of the world in a message to the French nation and other people worldwide called for countering attempts to divide the followers of the divine religions through Islamophobia.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
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<\/h4>\n

\u201cEfforts to divide the followers of the divine religions through Islamophobia is an American and French fundamentalist-ideological tradition, whose manifestations today are seen in the segregation of the Muslim community from non-Muslims, horrific labeling, unemployment, social discrimination as well as ruthless police measures deployed against them,\u201d they said.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Following is the full text of the message:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Honorable thinkers, scholars, intellectuals and broad-minded people of the world, particularly the honorable French nation<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Dear Brothers and Sisters,<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The key to a healthy democracy lies in respecting human beings. If any behavior leads to disrespect, discrimination and hatred against human beings, whether under the pretext of advocacy of freedom or democracy or through bullying and dictatorial methods, such an act is against the freedom of human beings. Democracy is not compatible with the double-standard of violence against one community while tolerating another one. Disrespect of the Holy Prophet of Islam is tantamount to disrespect of all the divine prophets and of the entire human society and is also a source of resentment for the global Muslim community. The inevitable consequence of such actions will be a rise in the atmosphere of hate, dissension and bitterness. As a matter of fact, based on rational principles, human beings do not have any other alternative than returning to the message of God, which is the true law for a healthy life. The minimum requirement for its materialization is protection of respect for human society as well as recognition of human beings and humanity as the masterpiece of creation.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Today, we are living in such circumstances in which neglect of the scope of oppression and neglect of others is increasing exponentially, and, where injustice, discrimination and hatemongering are rampant.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

\"Scholars,<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

France, with its Eurocentric approach, has been a source of grave mistakes in history. These have led to captivity of human beings, plundering of others\u2019 wealth, pogroms, and forceful domination of peoples in various parts of the world. In sum, this approach has paved the way for trampling on human rights, freedom and the broad-mindedness present in human society. Today, too, following the same method and approach leading to double-standards, Paris has caused an enlargement of the circle of hate, social confrontation, and injuring of the feelings of a great community of about two billion people.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Efforts to divide the followers of the divine religions through Islamophobia is an American and French fundamentalist-ideological tradition, whose manifestations today are seen in the segregation of the Muslim community from non-Muslims, horrific labeling, unemployment, social discrimination as well as ruthless police measures deployed against them.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The French government is the last one to be entitled to lecture the world about the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and democracy. The history of this country is replete with crimes against humanity, genocide, massacre and violent suppression. The following list is only a part of these crimes that have occurred only in the twentieth century:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

1 \u2013 1940s: During the anticolonial struggles in Algeria in 1940s, the French government massacred more than one million Algerian people, injured and rendered hundreds of thousands homeless or missing. Systemic violence against Algerians, along with the massacre of Setif and Guelma in 1945 and 1962 in which 30,000 Muslims were butchered, continued even though Algeria had announced its independence from colonial France.\u00a0 Algeria has suffered cultural genocide at the hands of France since 1830. France has converted many cultural and religious sites in Algeria.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

2 \u2013 1947: The M\u1ef9 Trach Massacre (Vietnamese: Th\u1ea3m s\u00e1t M\u1ef9 Tr\u1ea1ch’) was a massacre of Vietnamese civilians carried out by the French army during French rule in Vietnam.\u00a0 The massacre occurred in M\u1ef9 Tr\u1ea1ch village, M\u1ef9 Th\u1ee7y commune, Vietnam on 29 November 1947. In this operation, 326 houses were burnt. Many women were raped by the French soldiers before being killed. Over 300 civilian residents were killed, of whom 170 were women and 157 were children. Many entire families were slaughtered.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

3 – 1961: French police murdered more than 200 Algerians in Paris during protests on October 17, 1961 and drowned more than three hundred of them in Seine River.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

4 \u2013 1994: By donating huge weapons and military training to Juv\u00e9nal Habyarimana troops in a proxy genocide in Rwanda in 1994, the French government massacred about 800 thousand Rwandans in three months. Although the 400-page official report prepared by Ugandan Commission\u00a0 and published in 2007 by the present of Ugandan President Paul Kagame proves that \u201cthe French soldiers were directly involved in terrorizing and killing of Tutsis and Hutus\u201d and that \u201cthe French forces in several cases raped the Tutsi survivals\u201d , the French officials not only did not apologize\u00a0 but Alain Marie Jupp\u00e9, the French Foreign Minister of the time of genocide, called judicial prosecution of this genocide a \u201cre-writing of history\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Honorable Researchers, Respected Scholars<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Throughout its colonial occupation, particularly in Africa, France violated human rights time and again. Through its colonial occupation in 1524, France dominated more than 20 countries in West and North Africa. In fact, for 300 years, about 35 percent of this continent was under the occupation of France. Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Benin during those years were the center of the slave trade and the entire resources of that region were exploited by the French. During that period, any liberation efforts were confronted with harsh suppression, causing the deaths of more than two million Africans.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

France, in its laws on protection of human rights, including opposition to racism, hatemongering and discrimination, has passed certain laws that are the very basis for condemnation of desecration of religious sanctities:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

1 \u2013 The French Constitution incorporates the Declaration of Human and Civic Rights\u00a0 of 1789 that prohibits abuse of liberty. This has been also incorporated into Civil and Penal Laws. This law prohibits citizens from defaming or disrespecting other individuals and groups because of their religions, ethnicity, nationality, race, etc.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

2 \u2013 Besides the said rules, Articles 24, 32 and 33 of the Law on the Freedom of the Press of 29 July 1881 also deal with freedom of speech. Article 24 of the 1881 Act imposes criminal penalties on “those who, by one of the means set forth at Article 23,\u00a0 incite hatred or violence against a person or group of persons on account of their origin or membership or non-membership of a given ethnic group, nation, race or religion, or his true or supposed sexual orientation or gender identity “. Libel is not protected by freedom of speech (Law of 1881, art. 29).\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

2 – In addition to the above laws, France is party to the International Convention Against All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which came into force on 27 August 1971. Someone who is found guilty of libel may not only have to pay damages to the victim, but may also have to pay a fine under article 32 of the Law of 1881.\u00a0 This fine can be up to 45,000 Euros if the libel was committed because the victim is a member of a certain ethnic group, nation, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, or holds disability status.\u00a0 Hate speech also may be punished by a fine and imprisonment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

3 – The legislation is carried further with the Act of 1 July 1972 (la lutte contre le racisme), and with amendments to the Criminal Code, prohibiting racist group activities.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

4 – Also the law on hate speech of May 13, 2020 prohibits online hate speeches.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Nevertheless, it is clear that continuous hatemongering and disrespect by Charlie Hebdo weekly against Islam, the Holy Prophet of Islam, as well as the affirmative reaction of the French President to this disrespectful act, in violation of the above laws, not only are not prosecuted by law, but are wrongly and grudgingly interpreted as freedom of speech. In contrast, any support for the oppressed Palestinian people, or, any attempt to condemn the Zionist apartheid, or, any question raised about the reasons for the support lent to horrific crimes of this child-homicidal regime, are immediately prosecuted leading to the harshest penalties. On the one hand, we observe that disrespect of Judaism and the Jews, who constitute less than one thousand people in France and about 15 million in the world, is an illegal act giving rise to penal and criminal penalties. Even Loi Gayssot (July 13, 1990) has been approved in France prohibiting anyone from casting any doubts about the Holocaust. On the other hand, Islam as the last divine religion and the Holy Prophet of Islam as the Seal of Divine Prophets, and the Muslim population of two-billion strength are subject to massive disrespect, discriminations, and harassment. At the same time, Muslims are under pressure from Islamophobia and are threatened by war and massacre, without even an eyebrow being raised by the authorities. Islam and true Muslims do not approve of any disrespect of any divine religion, in general, and consider any disrespect of the values of nations undesirable and don\u2019t see any differences between Judaism, Christianity and Islam in this regard.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

France\u2019s Eurocentric and egocentric approach has caused historical and oppressive collusion among colonialists, either in Europe, with its black history replete with horrific crimes, or, in Apartheid-stricken Africa, or in occupied Palestine by Zionist Apartheid.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

It seems that today France has not learned the necessary lessons from its own colonial history and once again is following the bitter and hateful paths in which new human tragedies can germinate. Anyway, an analysis of the trends and reactions strengthen the idea that the French Government has intentionally planned this undesirable behavior to boost retaliatory reactions that may be misused as an excuse for more suppression of its religious and ethnic minorities. However, such governments must bear in mind that the strengthening of the atmosphere of hate is a very dangerous act that could prepare the ground for a massive conflict at the global level.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

In conclusion, it is emphasized that today we make a distinction between the French government and the respectful French people and the justice-seekers of France. Considering the seriousness of the issue, we advise the benevolent people of France to try to correct the wrongs and stop widespread discrimination against Muslims and not to allow the competition for power to be turned into a source of oppression and injustice against the already downtrodden Muslims of France.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Through dissemination of information among all thinkers, intellectuals and broad-minded people of France and those of the world, we strongly remind the French government that the responsibility of the occurrence of any tragedy whose horrific consequences would not be limited to any religion, race or ethnicity, will directly and entirely rest with the French Government. It is necessary to apologize for the disrespect of Prophet Mohammad, shut down the hate magazines and punish the hatemongering individuals through penal and criminal laws.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Honorable Religious Leaders, Distinguished Intellectuals and Concerned Scholars of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

We, the authors of this letter, firmly believe that paying attention to the past fundamental mistakes of France and her ideological extremism is a suitable basis for the scholars, broad-minded people of the world and those of France to find the appropriate paths for interaction with a view to putting the crises behind us and stamp out at root discriminatory and biased thoughts.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the honorable Secretary General of the United Nations Organization and the International Court of Justice at The Hague are requested to react to the actions that cause spread of hate and violations of human rights, whose foundation is respect for cultural and social values; they are also requested to provide for the enactment of some laws to prevent disrespect for the prophets, divine religions and the followers of the divine religions and stipulate some legal penalties for their violation.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

We call on the world\u2019s religious leaders, particularly those of the world of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, to rely on exchanges of views to prevent the interreligious, ethic and racial confrontations and conflicts that cause oppression and injustice and enlarge the circle of hate, and, to not allow the fundamentalist racists to trample on human rights.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of a great number of people and endangered lives and is spreading stress and anxiety everywhere, we recommend that the French President Mr. Emanuel Macron confront the acts that lead to disrespect of the Holy Prophet of Islam.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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The scholars and thinkers who wrote the message to the French people are as follows:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Matran Ataollah Hana, Patriarch of the Sebastia Orthodox Church<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Fozi Alawi, Chairman of the Masarat Center for Philosophical and Humanities Studies and Professor of Al-Zaytoonah University of Tunisia<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Ms. Mubarakah Al-Barahami, Member of the Tunisian People\u2019s Front and Former Member of the Parliaments<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, Chairman of the Iranian Seminaries<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Ayatollah Reza Ramezani, Sevretary General of the Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Hamid Parsania, Member of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Saeidreza Ameli, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Allameh Sheikh Hassan Baghdadi, Member of the Central Council of Lebanese Hezbollah<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Sheikh Khalid Abdulwahhab Al-Mala\u2019, President of the Iraqi Ulema Association<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Sameh Yah, Chairman of the Jewish Association of Tehran and Member of the Parliament<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Diocese of the Armenian Prelacy of Tehran<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Rev. Vanya Sargiz, Diocese of the Catholic Assyrians of Tehran<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Bishop Mar Narsai Benjamine, Bishop of the Apostolic Catholic Assyrians of East Iran<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Hassan Kachuian, University Prof. and Member of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Sayyid Abdulqadir Bahjat Al-Alusi, Chairman of the Council of Ulema of the Council of Mohammadi League of Iraq<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr, Emad Afrough, University Professor<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Sheikh Abdullah Jabri, Secretary General of Lebanon\u2019s Al-Ummah Movement<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Al-Sheikh Zouhair Jeaid, Coordinator of the Islamic Action Front of Lebanon<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Monsignor Antoine, Secretary General of Christian-Muslim Episcopal Committee for Dialogue<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Mufti Jafari Mumtaz Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, Lebanon<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Masoud Shajareh, Managing Director of Islamic Human Rights Commission<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Sando Hira, Manager Decolonial International Network<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Imam Muhammad Al-Asi, Imam of the Islamic Center of Washington<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Bishop Davidian, Chief of Armenian Catholic Diocese of Tehran<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Khorshidian, President of the Tehran Zoroastrian Mobeds Association<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Dr. Hamami Lalehzar, the Religious Leader of the Iranian Jews<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Mohi al-Din Abdulqadir, Manager of the Institute of Citizen International<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0(IQNA) \u2013 A number of scholars and thinkers from different parts of the world in a message to the French nation and other people worldwide called for countering attempts to divide the followers of the divine religions through Islamophobia. \u201cEfforts to divide the followers of the divine religions through Islamophobia is an American and French …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":20168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1478,1483,1482,1480,1481],"class_list":["post-20167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-islamic-research","tag-islam_is_our_symbol","tag-no_to_trump_deal","tag-purposeful_lectures","tag-stay_at_home_to_be_safe","tag-the_zionist_mice-army"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20169,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20167\/revisions\/20169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}