The Muslim Council of Elders, under the Chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar has held an emergency meeting via video conference to discuss the recent systematic campaign targeting Islam and its holy Prophet (PBUH).

During the meeting, the Council reiterated its renunciation of the murder of a French teacher as well as the stabbing of two Muslim women in Paris, stressing that all such incidents are acts of terrorism regardless of the identity of the perpetrators and/or their motives.

The Council also denounced the use of “freedom of expression” as a justification for insulting Islam’s Holy Prophet (PBUH), stressing that true freedom of expression comes with certain social responsibility which preserves the rights of others and does not use religion as a bargaining chip in the political arena.

The Council also called on Muslims in the West to continue to adhere to the values of coexistence, citizenship and human fraternity in their respective countries. It also called on Muslim communities to continue to positively integrate into their respective wider communities and not be drawn into xenophobic provocations which aim to distort Islam’s image while promoting hostility towards its believers. 

The Council finally announced the establishment of an international legal committee to look into filing a lawsuit against French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which published the cartoons insulting Islam’s holy Prophet (PBUH), as well as any other parties who aim to antagonize Islam and its symbols.