Backlash in Pakistan over repeated Blasphemy of Muslim Prophet
Javed Rana
Press TV, Islamabad
Violent clashes in Pakistani capital Islamabad! Police used heavy shelling to prevent thousands of angry protesters to march towards the French embassy in the capital.
Protesters reached near red zone after they forcibly removed heavy security barriers one after the other on the road leading towards the diplomatic enclave.
At the heart of public anger is frequent incidents of blasphemy committed against the Prophet of Islam. Many protesters were injured in the violent clashes with the police. Over a dozen were also arrested.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of public anger against France. Protesters are saying that they are not going to settle down anything short of shutting down French embassy and expelling French ambassador from Islamabad
French newspapers have repeatedly published blasphemous cartoons under the cover of the freedom of speech. However, for Muslims in Pakistan and elsewhere it was a politically motivated attempt to insult Islam which according to a Pew survey is spreading across Europe.
The official patronage to the blasphemers by the French government have added fuel to fire in Pakistan like elsewhere in the Muslim world.
In retaliation to controversial remarks of French President against Islam, protesters insulted his images. Anti-France sentiments have surged suddenly at an unprecedented level after repeated incidents of blasphemy of Islam. Similar protests were held across Pakistan.
Like elsewhere in the Muslim world, people have started boycotting French products in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan says that France under President Macron is encouraging Islamophobia which is creating further polarization and marginalization of Muslims in the West which he believes would inevitably lead towards radicalization in the world.
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