# Was it right for the French government to display the cartoons? *Macron projecting the cartoons: a government represents its Muslim citizens too* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/anlfdeeoh5y/s/3/ - Date: 2020-10-29 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Cartoons of The Prophet & Boycotting France | Mufti Abu Layth (5:12–9:06) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLFdEEOH5Y&t=312s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/anlfdeeoh5y/ **Topics:** Blasphemy, insult and free speech; Current events commentary **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: individuals and satirists may draw them, but a government represents all its citizens, including Muslims, and Macron's move was poorly managed and provocative. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says governments should not get involved in displaying such cartoons, since they are there to represent all the people. **Evidence, his words at 7:09:** “it's fine you know it's their right but government shouldn't get involved in these things this is not a government thing for the government to do it” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLFdEEOH5Y&t=429s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth describes President Macron having the cartoons of the Prophet projected onto large buildings, as he has read, across the country, while saying openly that drawing them is a right. Mufti calls it very poorly managed and regrettable: he endorses that the killing was barbaric, wrong and has no place in Islam, but says answering it by putting the cartoons everywhere is taking the mick. He says satirical papers, right-wing groups or individuals may do such things, but a government represents all its people, including France's substantial Muslim minority, and should take everyone's sentiments into account. He gives the hypothetical of an insulting slogan about Muslims to show how a president endorsing such a thing takes it to a ridiculous height. ## Sources and names cited - Emmanuel Macron ## Transcript (machine tier, 5:12–9:06) [4:32] if he was doing as that i don't i think it was just a very silly thing but he was within his rights to do it now being beheaded for or being killed for it i don't personally think that equates to automatically becoming a hero for the state but whatever france's you know their sovereign state they want to declare my hero fine you know it's it's it's absolutely fine uh it's their own executive decision then president macron what he decides to do is um he decides to [5:12] have the cartoons of the prophet muhammad projected onto uh massive buildings and billboards right i i take it from what i've read is right throughout the country i've seen video footage of it in in certain places but i've read that it's right throughout the country and he says that openly that drawing cartoons of the prophet is a right that we have and he wants to make this a statement now personally i think that is very poorly managed by the president of france i think [5:51] it's um a regrettable move because look i get the fact that what the person did what that this was a tragedy i get that i agree with that i endorse that i endorse the fact that look killing is never a solution and i endorse the statement that it was barbaric and it was wrong i even say i go a step further say has no place in islam right now however to say well let's you know okay well what provoked you was the picture of the prophet muhammad uh doing [6:30] whatever dumb silly things whatever it is so in your face what we're gonna do is put this everywhere on these huge buildings um that to me is just taking the you know it's literally it's just taking the mick like what i don't understand how oh and he says well if muslims don't like it tough are the muslims of france not your citizens as well you know don't they have a fundamental right as well like why why is this just and they say well you know so what it's just a look i'm i get the fact if some people want to do it [7:09] it's fine you know it's their right but government shouldn't get involved in these things this is not a government thing for the government to do it that's taking the mick you know for the government to do it like i understand a satirical newspaper doing it i understand a right-wing kind of organization doing it i understand even regular people doing it but governments are there to represent all the people they need to take all sentiments into consideration they need to take the ethnic minorities into consideration [7:47] who by the way are substantial quantity in france you need to take everybody into you represent the people you don't just represent non-muslim people you represent the french muslims as well you know if somebody tomorrow said i want to write a big fu all muslims are the c word this is my calligraphy logo all muslims are the c word okay i think that's an absolute dumb move to do and it's probably gonna you know some people are gonna get angry and [8:26] they shouldn't assault you but you're probably putting yourself up for assault but if the president of a country wants to endorse that logo now that's just taking this to a ridiculous height like what the hell like a president and a government a a monarch they shouldn't be getting involved in these things they should be always seen as people who take everybody's sentiments into consideration not just uh you know the majority so i think that is a very um [9:05] you know it's it's a shame what the french administration is doing i think that um it is very provocative i i i hope muslims do not react violently protesting is their right and they have reacted in the thousands and thousands worldwide with protests if they want to economically boycott france i can understand it i feel that if they want to do that that's fine ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment aNLFdEEOH5Y/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/anlfdeeoh5y/s/3/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.