Charlie Hebdo, Recep Tayyip Erdogan | The West should stand together when liberal rights are attacked with threats

Boycotts of French goods and mass demonstrations in Turkey and Pakistan are the preliminary reactions from Islamic countries after the French president took a stand against religious fanaticism.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken out: – What is Macron’s problem with Islam? What is his problem with Muslims? Macron needs mental help, the Turkish president said.

The counter-attack from the satire magazine Charlie Hebdo was hardly received with merriment in Istanbul. Erdogan has previously shown himself to be very hairy when he is exposed to humor and ridicule in the West. He even demanded that a German comedian be prosecuted after exposing the Turkish president to humor.

But this is not about a self-willed and arrogant Turkish president. The starting point is the bestial execution of the French teacher Samuel Paty on October 16 – a death sentence executed by a religious fanatic in revenge for the teacher showing drawings of Muhammad for an hour of freedom of speech.

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Many Muslims believe that it is a sin to portray Muhammad. The idea is that the prophet is so infallible and exalted that a worldly image presents him as less perfect than he is. Similar traditions also exist in Christian religious history.

Respecting the beliefs of others is a good thing. I have little sense of publishing drawings just to offend. But it is difficult to discuss Muhammad caricatures without showing what they are about, and liberal Western cultures cannot accept a remote control of our freedom of expression under threats of violence and revenge.

After the Norwegian Nobel Committee in 2010 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the Chinese opposition Liu Xiabo, Norway was put in the freezer and subjected to economic and political boycott by the great power for almost ten years. The great power chose a small country and used force. It is questionable whether the Chinese regime would have been as offensive if the boycott had been met with a similar boycott from across the EU.

And when Sweden wanted to end its arms exports to Saudi Arabia in 2015, the country was subjected to retaliation. The situation was not improved by the Swedes criticizing human rights violations, while Saudi Arabia wanted to break diplomatic ties. Even in that situation, many western countries sat quietly so as not to be drawn into the conflict.

Lastly, Denmark and the Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod have received 28 countries to support Danish criticism of torture, the death penalty and persecution in Saudi Arabia.

Now it is France that has to endure the anger of Islamic countries, unbelievably after a religiously motivated execution of a schoolteacher. Talk about rubbing salt in my wounds – d’oh!

The point is that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. It is enshrined in the UN’s human rights, and has the support of billions of people around the world – not least in Western countries. The right to criticize and make humor about religions is part of this freedom of expression, and it takes precedence over the right not to be violated.

French President Emmanuel Macron is a center-right politician with liberal values, and he has emphatically put the cabinet in place for religious fanaticism and threats to freedom of expression. Now forces in the Islamic world are trying to polarize and create a hatred of French values ​​and companies.

This is devastating for billions of peaceful Muslims who live side by side with people of another faith, and people who do not have a religious faith. Not least because it is important that everyone who supports the right to express themselves freely marks support.

PS! What do you mean? Do you understand the rage against France and Emmanuel Macron, or do you think that Norway should be more active in supporting the French president? Write a reader letter!

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