RIYADH — Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nayef Al-Hajraf has taken a strong exception to the latest remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron about Islam and Muslims, calling them irresponsible. GCC chief said that such remarks would only fuel the culture of hatred among people and they do not help build strong relations between Muslims and the friendly French people. At a time when all efforts should rather be made to promote the culture of tolerance and dialogue among communities and religions, such unacceptable and provocative statements are instead being made. The continued publication of cartoons insulting Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is proof of that. Al-Hajraf called on all world leaders, thinkers and opinion makers to shoulder their responsibility in establishing peace and coexistence by rejecting hate speech that incites anger and mocks religions and their symbols. They should encourage people to respect the feelings of Muslims all over the world instead of falling into the traps of Islamophobia promoted by overtly ultra-extremist groups.
