Russian Council of Muftis calls Charlie Hebdo caricature "blasphemy," warn Muslims against aggressive reaction
MOSCOW. Sept 15 (Interfax) - It is wrong to mock other people's deaths but Muslims must follow the example of Prophet Muhammed by reacting peacefully to such things, said Rushan Abbyasov, deputy leader of the Russian Council of Muftis, commenting on a publication in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo of a caricature of the Syrian boy who drowned in the sea.
"No doubt it is blasphemous when people laugh at other people's deaths, and today unfortunately, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of such deaths. And the tragic situation that is taking place today, with people leaving their homes, having to migrate on inflatable mattresses - this of course is very dreadful. People's deaths should by no means be mocked and laughed about," Abbyasov told reporters on Tuesday, responding to a question posed by Interfax.
"Recently I heard some information that the Charlie Hebdo editors decided to longer publish religious caricatures: there were caricatures not only of the Prophet Muhammed but also representatives of other religions. We urge respect for moral ethics and that the feelings of the devout should by no means be laughed about: all this leads to tragedies and scandals," the mufti said.
He added that Islam does not encourage aggression in response to such publications. "Muslims must react to it from the viewpoint of the Holy Koran and follow the example of the Prophet Muhammed who clearly demonstrated with his personal example that even he, when faced with death, was still trying to resolve things peacefully. When a woman tried to harm the prophet by throwing rubbish on his path every day, he would remove this rubbish every day. When one day he did not see any rubbish, he went and knocked on her door and asked her whether she was alright. This is the high spiritual temperament of the prophet. This is not the only case, there were many such cases," Abbyasov.
"The Holy Koran urges to respond to evil with good, and I think this is what Muslims will be guided by, and not by a pursuit of some political goals of their own," Abbyasov said.