In an interview with the German daily Die Welt on Monday, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash came out in support of Macron and called on Muslims to accept the stance of the French president on his claims about the need for “greater integration” of Muslims.
“Muslims have to listen carefully to what Macron said in his speech. He doesn’t want to isolate Muslims in the West, and he is totally right,” Gargash told the German daily, adding that Muslims “need to be integrated in a better way” in Western nations.
Gargash also rejected statements that the French president sought to exclude Muslims living in France.
Over the past two months, the French head of state has attacked the faith of nearly two billion Muslims worldwide on several occasions.
In September, Macron defended the “right to blaspheme” in France after French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo republished sacrilegious cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). On October 2, he claimed in a speech that Islam was “in crisis globally” and announced his plan “to reform Islam” to bring the faith more in line with French values.
Later, Macron supported a French teacher’s displaying of cartoons insulting the Prophet in his class. “France will never renounce caricatures,” Macron declared, defending the teacher for “promoting freedom.”
Numerous Muslim states and leaders have issued condemnatory statements against Macron, and thousands-strong protests have been held to protest his stance.
Gargash’s bizarre comments in defense of Macron come even as the French president himself has softened his tone amid boycotts of French products by Muslim companies and associations.