Saudi Arabia condemns French cartoons insulting Prophet

ISTANBUL (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned the French republication of offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, rejecting any link between Islam and terrorism.

The official SPA news agency, citing a Foreign Ministry source, said the kingdom condemns any act of terrorism. “Saudi Arabia calls that the freedom of expression should be a beacon for respect, tolerance and peace,” the source said.

However, there was no comment from Saudi authorities regarding calls for boycotting French products over the anti-Islam insults.

French President Emmanuel Macron has sparked outrage across the Muslim world by accusing Muslims of “separatism” and describing Islam as a “a religion in crisis all over the world".

This coincided with a provocative move by Charlie Hebdo, a left-wing French magazine infamous for publishing anti-Islamic caricatures, which have drawn widespread anger and outrage across the Muslim world.

The caricatures were first published in 2006 by a Danish newspaper Jylllands Posten, sparking a wave of protests.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara