VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) denounced French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that insults Islam.

"Indonesia strongly denounces the statement of the French President that has insulted Islam that has hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world," President Jokowi stated at the Merdeka Palace here on Saturday.

President Jokowi conveyed the statement after meeting with religious leaders in Indonesia, including representatives from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah, the Indonesian Church Trustees Conference (KWI), the Indonesian Church Association (PGI), Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI), the Indonesian Buddhist Association (Permabudhi), the Indonesian Confucian Religion Council (Matakin) and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and Minister of Religious Affairs Fachrul Razi.

"That can create divisions among followers of various religions at a time when the world needs unity to face the COVID-19 pandemic," Jokowi stated.

The head of state believes that freedom of expression that fails to uphold honor, sanctity, and the holiness of religious values and symbols can under no conditions be justified and should be stopped.

"Associating religion with acts of terrorism is a big mistake. Terrorism is terrorism. Terrorists are terrorists. Terrorism has no law with any religion," he noted.

Indonesia also strongly denounced the violence in Paris and Nice.

"Indonesia strongly condemns the violence that occurred in Paris and Nice that claimed lives," the president stated.

Earlier, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry denounced Macron's remarks on Islam and support for depiction and publication of cartoons on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which have sparked much ire in the Islamic World. To register its protest, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry summoned French Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Olivier Chambard, on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, and sought an explanation for Macron's controversial statements.

Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah, told ANTARA here on Wednesday that Ambassador Chambard was summoned to apprise him of Indonesia's official stance on the anti-Islam remarks made by Macron recently in a speech.

The Indonesian government objected to President Macron's comments linking Islam to terrorism or extremism, affirming that associating any religion to acts of terror cannot be justified and would deeply offend adherents of the religions, Faizasyah stated.

Macron's remarks following the beheading of Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, for showing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad during a class recently have sparked controversy and fueled a backlash from Muslims worldwide over the past few days.(ANTARA)