Radical Muslim cleric
Anjem Choudary said in a commentary for USA Today on Thursday that Muslims do not "believe in the concept of freedom of expression,” and the “potential consequences of insulting the Messenger Muhammad are known to Muslims and non-Muslims alike."
In USA Today’s "Opposing View" section, Choudary said Muslims consider defending Prophet Muhammad to be an obligation, and if one fails to do so, "the strict punishment if found guilty of this crime under sharia (Islamic law) is capital punishment implementable by an Islamic State. This is because the Messenger Muhammad said, 'Whoever insults a Prophet kill him.'"
Choudary questioned why the French government allowed Charlie Hebdo to "continue to provoke Muslims, thereby placing the sanctity of its citizens at risk?"
“It is time that the sanctity of a Prophet revered by up to one-quarter of the world's population was protected,” the cleric wrote.
The USA Today editorial board presented the opposing view: “One might be tempted to say the tabloid acted like a man who pokes a bear with a stick; it's no surprise that the bear clawed back. But that would miss the point. … Instead, the issue is free speech, which inevitably involves tolerance of offensive speech. The unacceptable alternative is to have speech judged by government censors.”
Thursday on NewsmaxTV, Choudary, when asked if the Paris attack was justified, said, “I think it was provoked. … I believe it was an inevitable response to attacking any of the prophets of our land.”
Choudary’s opinion, also expressed in other media outlets, provoked its own response online, and many people said they were upset he was even given airtime.
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