The French Council of the Muslim Faith came to the defense of Christians from the East, denouncing the “barbarity” of jihadists and a “crime against humanity” in a solemn appeal made at the Great Mosque of Paris.
“The Call of Paris,” will be followed by responses on September 12 in every French mosque and in Europe during the Friday prayer. The organizers also expect to host an international conference in Paris in which religious and political leaders will gather “to adopt strong resolutions” against jihadist violence.
The signatories include Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Great Mosque of Paris and President of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, and Patrick Karam, president of Coordination for Eastern Christians in Danger (Chredo.)
The Call affirms the “inalienable right of our Christian brothers in the East to stay and live in their land with the dignity and security to practice their faith in freedom.” In The Figaro, Boubakeur refutes in advance “cynical pouts about the alleged impotence of such a call.” “We are now in a cultural war. With the force of arms, we oppose the spiritual strength and power of the mind,” he said.
Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve applauded this initiative which “bears witness to the capacity of religions to unite for human rights and the values of the Republic.”
“It is a firm denial to those who wish to create amalgamations between terrorism and the Muslim religion at the risk of pitting Frenchmen against one another,” he wrote in a statement.
