The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims has condemned what he termed disparaging remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron on Islam.
Council’s national chairman Alhajj Hassan ole Naado said what the French leader said on October 2 on Prophet Muhammed was unacceptable.
“Freedom of speech must be exercised in such a manner as not to hurt the freedoms and right of others,” Naado said.
“Remarks made stigmatising an entire faith for a criminal act, the murder of a school teacher, by a youth who happened to profess the Muslim faith beats all logic. How can a crime committed by an individual lead to collective guilt?”
There have been protests across the world following the beheading of a history teacher in Paris after he showed a caricature of Prophet Muhammed to his students.
On Saturday, President Macron said he understands the feelings of Muslims who are shocked by the displaying of cartoons of Prophet Muhammed but added that the “radical Islam” he is trying to fight is a threat to all people, especially Muslims.
“I will always defend in my country the freedom to speak, to write, to think, to draw.”
But Naado said disparaging Islam and mocking its symbols is not freedom of expression.
“Caricatures depicting Jewish people in France would not be tolerated and would certainly land one in court. The same, however, is not the case for the country’s Muslim community,” he said.