during a protest against French President at the Place de
l’obelisque, in Dakar, on November 7, 2020. Seyllou /
AFP
Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in
the Senegalese capital Dakar against cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammed and French President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of the
right to satirise religion.
AFP reporters saw some demonstrators burn French flags and
pictures of Macron as well as back the calls for a boycott of
French products that have circulated in the Muslim world in recent
weeks.
“Macron wounded the whole Muslim world. If the world is at peace
it’s thanks to the Muslim religion. I myself hate M acron,” said
demonstrator Youssoupha Sow.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Demonstrations erupted in a number of majority Muslim countries
following Macron’s impassioned defence of freedom of expression
last month, delivered at a memorial for a teacher who was beheaded
by a suspected Islamist after showing Mohammed cartoons in a civics
class.
The French leader’s words were taken by some as an attack on
their faith, and he has since tried to calm the tensions by saying
he understands Muslims’ reaction to the drawings.
With a population that is around 95 percent Muslim, Senegal has
close ties with former colonial power France.
Four brotherhoods of the religion’s Sufi branch play a dominant
role in the country’s public life, and it is famous for religious
tolerance.
Saturday’s protest “isn’t to say that we’re against France or
whoever else,” said marcher Awa Thiam.
air during a protest against French President at the Place de
l’obelisque, in Dakar, on November 7, 2020. Seyllou /
AFP
“We just want our fellow citizens, Muslims like us, to be able
to practise their faith in peace.
“People shouldn’t make others afraid, make them believe that
(Islam) is a religion of terror, of evil… actually you can’t get
more peaceful than Islam.”
Another demonstrator, Kara Sow, said he and others were “really
angry that people are saying bad things about the prophet Mohammed
and drawing cartoons of him. We love the prophet more than our own
parents.”
Strict interpretations of Islam forbid making any images of
Mohammed.
AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/11/08/thousands-protest-in-senegal-over-mohammed-cartoons/