In a move opposite to the rest of the Muslim and Arab world, a minister belonging to the administration of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has gone on record to defend French President Emmanuel Macron’s stand on the need for better integration of Muslims into the Western world.
UAE minister said Muslims should “listen carefully” to Macron’s remarks as he apparently has no plans to “isolate them” in the western world. Further terming his comments as “totally right”, he said the French have all authority and right to make the integration possible and achievable.
These shocking wordings have come from the minister of state for foreign affairs of the UAE, Anwar Gargash. He has met with severe criticism over his choice of sentences and the “advice” he went ahead to give Muslims in the world. The comments were recorded during his Monday interview with Die Welt, a German daily newspaper.
“The French state has the right to search for ways to achieve this in parallel with combating extremism and societal closure,” he said, further adding the “better integration” stance of Macron, which directly implicates the reformation that Islam needs to go through in order to live in the West.
Anwar dismissed the allegations put on the French President regarding his exclusion of Muslims from France.
Amid the growing tensions between the Muslim world and Macron, the statements of the UAE minister are being slammed.
The protests were called after the French President gave a controversial speech supporting the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed following the beheading of a professor in Paris.
Macron necessitated the “better integration” of Muslims into the Western world for it to fall in place with their policies.
Many prominent Muslim leaders of the world heavily criticized Macron and his statements, which gave the impression of Islamophobia. Countries also started boycott campaigns following this.
Realizing the havoc he has created, Macron later told Al Jazeera in an interview that he “understands the sentiments of Muslims and he respects them”.
“But you must understand my role right now, it’s to do two things: to promote calm and also to protect these rights,” Macron said.
“I will always defend in my country the freedom to speak, to write, to think, to draw,” he added
