The world is witnessing a surge in Islamophobia once again. Emanating from a liberal, democratic and secular capital of Europe, France is its epicenter once again. Paris was gripped with the frenzy of Islamophobic hysteria when, in a series of speeches delivered in October, President Emmanuel Macron mocked Islam and allowed to republish the caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). By calling Islam a “faith in crisis all over the world” and announcing his own plan of reforms to free the religion from “foreign influence”, Macron not only divided his country on religious separatism but also caused fissures in inter-civilizational harmony worldwide.[1]
The controversial sketches were also displayed on the government buildings “in the defiance of Islamic terrorists” and “preserving the tradition of secularism” in the country.[2] Exploiting this xenophobic tendency as a handy instrument of far right politics in his country, Macron’s inciteful remarks evoked strong reactions from all across the world which were not limited to the Muslim states and societies only.
