The Palestinian Grand Mufti said that “those who [showed the cartoons] are completely uncultured,” but he did not say anything about the man who beheaded a teacher being “uncultured.”
By Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch
France is on its highest terror alert in many years following a series of terror attacks by Muslims, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) has chosen to be on the side of the terrorists.
The terror attacks started after a French teacher, who showed his class cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed as an example of freedom of expression, was beheaded by a Muslim. Reacting to the murder in a Paris suburb, President of France Emmanuel Macron spoke in defense of freedom of expression, and said: “Islam is a religion that is experiencing a crisis across the world.” He also called the murder “a typical Islamist terrorist attack.” [The Guardian, Oct. 18, 2020]
Subsequently, another Muslim murdered three Christians in a church in Nice, one of them an elderly woman whom he beheaded. A few days later, yet another terrorist shot and injured a priest as he was leaving church. In addition, Muslims are demonstrating against France and against cartoons portraying Islam’s Prophet Muhammad across the world.
Significantly, the Palestinian Authority has chosen to take the side of the Islamists. The official Palestinian news sources have not published condemnations of the murders of innocent French Christians by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas or by any other PA leader. In fact, no one has even mentioned the killings.
Instead, while being careful not to criticize France by name, since France is one of the PA’s top financial supporters in Europe, PA religious leaders – including the Ministry of Religious Affairs – have condemned the publication of the Mohammed cartoons, saying that it is the cartoons that “fan the spirit of hatred and hostility”:
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs expressed its rejection of the affront to Prophet Mohammed… Ministry of Religious Affairs Director-General in the Ramallah District Wafiq Alawi said: ‘The ministry – with all its administrative staff and all the mosque imams, preachers, and guards – has followed with great resentment the publication of the cartoons affronting Prophet Muhammad… We warn against continuing these affronts… This fans the spirit of hatred and hostility, and contributes to burying the culture of tolerance and peace between the peoples.” [WAFA, official PA news agency, Oct. 28, 2020]
The most senior PA religious official, the Grand Mufti Muhammad Hussein, “condemned the publication of images affronting honorable Prophet Muhammad,” and said that “this affront is immoral.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 26, 2020]
Significantly, the Mufti added that “those who [showed the cartoons] are completely uncultured,” but he did not say anything about the man who beheaded a teacher being “uncultured.”
The Palestinian public followed its leadership and took to the streats protesting against the cartoons in France – but not against the horrific murders of innocents in the streets: