“With strong outrage and condemnation, we have followed the official and unofficial statements in France to justify and support displaying offensive caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) under the pretext of freedom of speech,” HAMAS said.

HAMAS underlined that insulting religions and messengers was not part of the freedom of speech; rather, it stirred up hatred and provoke divisions among people.

“Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent as a mercy to all mankind. In most of his speeches, he called for embracing the values of tolerance, coexistence and respect of others,” HAMAS stressed.

HAMAS warned against the consequences of this behavior, displayed especially by the official circles in France, the republic whose revolution was built on concepts of “fraternity, liberty and equality.”

HAMAS also added that this deplored behavior would provoke conflicts between peoples and nations at a time in which the humanity was in a bad need for tolerance and coexistence. (ILKHA)