Raza Academy has initiated a campaign demanding that Muslim countries issue a fatwa against French President Emmanuel Macron after cartoons on prophet Mohammed by Charlie Hebdo were projected onto government buildings. The cartoons were projected following the brutal beheading of a teacher in Paris for showing cartoons on the Islamic prophet to his students.
“Raza Academy urges Muslim nations to issue Fatwa against Macron French President Emmanuel Macron’s attack on Islam has been growing evidently with his latest outburst to place Offensive Caricatures on state buildings in France insulting the Holy Prophet of Islam,” the statement by Raza Academy read. “Macron’s strategy is clearly visible with his actions to defame Islam and create an atmosphere against Muslims in France,” it added.
The statement further said, “The republication of sketches attributed to the Holy Prophet by Charlie Hebdo and his approval is infact a heinous conspiracy in the name of freedom of expression aimed at putting societies around the world on a bloody confrontation on social, ideological and religious grounds. Hence this Man needs to be stopped in his track destruction immediately.”
The Raza Academy also demanded that all French embassies and consulates in Muslim countries be shut down and all ambassadors to France be called back in light of recent events. It also urged people on social media to exercise their freedom of expression against the ‘Satanic minded president’ using the hashtag ‘Macron the Devil’.
The Islamist organisation has also succeeded in making #MacronTheDevil the top trending hashtag on Twitter. It urged Muslims to tweet against Emmanuel Macron ‘Huzoor ki Muhabbat mein’ (for love towards the prophet). Muslims on social media appear to have heeded their call, however, it is yet unclear the extent to which the campaign will have any impact on the policies of Islamic counties.
Violent Past of the Raza Academy
The Raza Academy has a violent past. Earlier this year, Raza Academy had threatened with ‘law and order situation’ if the movie ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ was not banned. The movie depicts the life of the prophet from birth till the age of 13.
In August 2011, its leaders had organised a so-called protest in Azad Maidan that had devolved into violent riots. The rioters from the Islamist organisation had vandalised the much-hallowed Amar Jawan memorial situated outside the CST. The riots had caused approximately Rs 2.72 crores worth of damages to various public properties.
The protest was carried out to incite communal violence in Mumbai and the IB report to Maharashtra government hinted at Pakistani involvement in the riots. Bangladeshi passports were retrieved from the areas where riots took place. About 65 people and 40 security personnel were injured in the riots.
