(Deutsche Welle) France’s latest steps in combating Islamist extremism at home have been closely monitored in Arab countries. The brutal killing of French teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown his pupils cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in class, prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to defend the use of the cartoons and France’s secularism, which in turn triggered anti-French protests in many Muslim countries.
Macron’s statements that he saw “Islam as a religion in crisis” fanned the flames further, as did his interior minister’s recent announcement on the potential closure of nearly 80 mosques in France.
Voice of peaceful dialogue in Lebanon
Sheikh Mohammed Abu Zaid, chairman of the Sunni Court and imam of the largest mosque in Saida, near Beirut, however, believes that only peaceful collaboration will improve relations. “Using the state’s power and authority will do the opposite,” he told DW.
