The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, said that the Muslims of France must respect the laws and values ​​of the Republic or leave the country.

"We have always called on the Muslims of France to respect the constitution, laws and values ​​of the French Republic, just as we expect others in the Islamic world to respect our constitutions and our values," Al-Issa added, in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

Commenting on the policies of French President Emmanuel Macron against what he calls "Islamic separatism", Al-Eisi considered that "there are those who want to live separately from their society while they must respect French cohesion."

"Anyone who lives in any country, in France or anywhere else, must respect its laws or leave this country," he added.

Al-Issa, who previously held the position of Minister of Justice in Saudi Arabia, called for continuing "civilizational and cultural dialogue" between nations and peoples, warning of the concepts of a "clash of civilizations."

The value of the prophets

Commenting on the publication of the cartoons insulting to the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the subsequent killing of the teacher Samuel Bate by a young Muslim of Chechen origins, Al-Issa affirmed that “the murder of Samuel Batey is a horrific terrorist crime, and in no way can a Muslim worthy of this name be Commits such an act. "

He added, "In addition to committing what cannot be repaired by killing this poor professor, this terrorist has damaged the image of Islam..We are convinced in the end that the value of the prophets is far too great to be compromised through mere fees, no matter how low the level of respect you intend. ".

And he added, "It must be understood that when you offend the noble Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, you offend nearly one billion and 800 million Muslims, and when you offend Jesus (peace be upon him), you offend this same number of Muslims as well as Christians."

Al-Issa considered that the right to expression should not be used as an "excuse to incite" hatred, noting that "although we do not support offensive cartoons, we are equally opposed to all forms of violence or responding to them through hate speech."

He added, "If any newspaper has the right to express its point of view, then surely we have the same right to express our point of view on these cartoons. We are not against freedoms, and this is self-evident, but we only call for using them properly, and this is our view."

In a question about whether he respects the principle of "secularism" in the French way, Al-Issa asserted that for a country of great diversity like France, "only the principle of secularism can govern it. There is no other option, because this principle guarantees the neutrality of the republic's institutions as well as the freedom of worship for all religions." ".

Al-Issa during his visit to Auschwitz camp in Poland on the 75th anniversary of the "Jewish Holocaust" (communication sites)

Wahhabi doctrine

Al-Issa also denied - commenting on the relationship of "Wahhabism" with the Muslim Brotherhood and "jihadist" organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State - that there is such a thing as a "Wahhabi doctrine," stressing that Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World League are against the ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Riyadh officially classified as "a group." Terrorist. "

He added that political Islam groups "reduce Islam to extremist political goals," calling on France to "criminalize" political Islam and the parties stemming from it, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, mainly through law.

Al-Issa also called on the French authorities to accelerate the prevention of foreign funding for the training of foreign imams in France, noting that this matter causes problems that may have dire consequences.

In response to a question about whether the fate that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi met in his country's consulate in Istanbul deserves remorse from the Saudi authorities, of which Al-Issa was one of their ministers, he replied that “Saudi Arabia officially announced that the killing of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi is a heinous crime, and harsh court rulings have been issued against the criminals. Involved. "