India ‘strongly deplores’ attacks on Macron for tough stance on radical Islam
New Delhi | ByPress Trust of India | Posted by Nilavro Ghosh
Oct 29, 2020 04:11 PM IST
Emmanuel Macron has come under severe criticism from various Muslim-majority countries for his comments on Islam in the wake of beheading of a teacher in Paris. The teacher had shown caricatures of Prophet Muhammad to his students and was beheaded for it.
India on Wednesday strongly deplored the personal attacks against French President Emmanuel Macron following his tough stance on radical Islam, calling it a violation of the most basic standards of international discourse.
In a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also condemned the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner and asserted that there is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance.
Watch | India backs Macron against ‘personal attacks’; condemns teacher’s beheading
“We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse,” the MEA said.
“We also condemn the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world. We offer our condolences to his family and the people of France,” it said.
Following the MEA statement, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain thanked India saying both countries can count on each other in the fight against terrorism.
“Thank you @MEAIndia. France and India can always count on each other in the fight against terrorism,” he tweeted.
Macron has been facing criticism from various Muslim-majority countries after he took a tough stand on radical Islam and defended cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The French President said that Islam was a religion in “crisis”.
His comments came in the backdrop of the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty on October 16 outside Paris in broad daylight. He had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.