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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 28 OctOber 2020
Thousands in Bangladesh protest against French cartoons

By JULHAS ALAM refusal to condemn the
Associated Press publication. Demonstrators
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) chanted slogans against
— Around 10,000 people Macron and then burned
in Bangladesh rallied in the an effigy of him.
South Asian nation's capi- In Saudi Arabia, the coun-
tal on Tuesday to protest try's state-run Saudi Press
France's president and his Agency on Tuesday put
staunch support of secular out a statement from the
laws that deem caricatures Foreign Ministry saying the
depicting the Prophet Mu- kingdom "rejects any at-
hammad as protected un- tempt to link Islam and
der freedom of speech. terrorism, and denounces
Protesters from the con- the offensive cartoons of
servative Islami Andolon the prophet." Saudi clerics
Bangladesh group, which have too condemned the
supports the introduction caricatures, but have also
of Islamic law in the Mus- cited the prophet's "mercy,
lim-majority country, car- justice, tolerance". Another
ried banners and placards prominent sheikh called on
reading: "All Muslims of the Muslims not to overreact.
world, unite" and "Boycott The Arab Gulf state of Qa-
France." It was the largest tar also condemned what
protest yet against the car- The front page of the Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020 edition of the Iranian hard-line Iranian newspaper, it described as "the dra-
toons in recent days. Vatan-e Emrooz, depicts French President Macron as the devil and called him Satan in a cartoon. matic escalation of popu-
Associated Press
Some carried portraits of list rhetoric" inciting religious
French President Emman- tion of religious intrusion born al-Qaida extremists and that France was per- abuse. In a statement, the
uel Macron with an "X" on in public spheres. Macron killed 12 employees of the mitting hatred against Islam government said inflam-
his face. One protester and members of his gov- French satirical weekly under the guise of support matory speech is fueling
carried a cutout image of ernment have vowed to Charlie Hebdo in response for freedom of expression. calls for the repeated tar-
the French president with continue supporting such to its publication of carica- A powerful association of geting of nearly 2 billion
shoes around his neck as a caricatures as protected tures depicting the Prophet clerics in the Iranian city Muslims around the world
sign of insult. The issue has under freedom of expres- Muhammad. Those car- of Qom also urged the through the deliberate of-
once again come to light sion. Muslim politicians, toons also sparked mass government to condemn fending of the Prophet Mu-
in recent days following a religious scholars and ev- protests in Muslim-majority Macron. Iranian hard-line hammad and has led to an
gruesome beheading near eryday people have con- countries, with some turn- newspaper Vatan-e Em- increase in hostility toward
Paris of a French teacher demned such depictions ing deadly. rooz depicted Macron as Muslims.
who showed caricatures as a form of hate speech Elsewhere, Iran summoned the devil and called him Bangladeshi protesters
of the Prophet Muham- and view them as sacrile- a French diplomat to pro- Satan in a cartoon on its gathered in front of the
mad in class. The 18-year- gious and insulting to Islam. test France's stance on the front page Tuesday. main Baitul Mokarram
old Chechen refugee who Muslims have been call- caricatures. A report by Pakistan's parliament Mosque in downtown Dha-
carried out the attack was ing for both protests and a state TV on Tuesday said an passed a resolution con- ka Tuesday morning. The
later shot dead by police. boycott of French goods in Iranian official in the coun- demning the publication of group walked toward the
The teacher, Samuel Paty, response to France's stance try's Foreign Ministry told the cartoons of the prophet. On French Embassy, but po-
has been heralded as a on caricatures of Islam's French diplomat that Paris' Tuesday, dozens of people lice intercepted the march,
symbol of France's staunch most revered prophet. response in the aftermath in the southern port city of which ended without vio-
secular ideals and its rejec- Five years ago, French- of Paty's killing was "unwise" Karachi protested France's lence. q
Trump supporters rally at U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AP) — A con- jamin Netanyahu has de- are no words, no words to
voy of cars decorated with scribed him as the "great- explain. Exceptional presi-
American flags and Trump est friend" Israel has ever dent."
2020 banners on Tuesday had in the White House. During his time in office,
drove from Tel Aviv to Je- Most of the people in Tues- Trump has taken a number
rusalem, holding a rally day's convoy appeared to of moves welcomed by Is-
outside the U.S. Embassy be American immigrants, rael — beginning with his
in support of the American though there were also recognition of contested
president ahead of next some activists from Netan- Jerusalem as Israel's capital
week's election. yahu's Likud party. and the subsequent move
Some two dozen vehicles "More and more people of the embassy from Tel
joined the procession, are wakening and seeing Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump
which was organized by who Donald Trump truly is also recognized Israel's
Republicans Overseas Is- — that he's for the people annexation of the Golan
rael. and for the Jewish people," Heights, has taken a softer
While Jews in the United said Jacob Lieberman, line toward Israeli settle- Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump for re-election wave
States are expected to vote who wore a Trump 2020 ment construction on oc- an American and an Israeli flag from a car headed for a rally
overwhelmingly for Demo- baseball hat and covered cupied lands and recently outside of the U.S. Embassy, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.
crat Joe Biden, Donald his face with an American brokered diplomatic pacts Associated Press
Trump is a popular figure in flag. "What he has done for between Israel and three Republicans Overseas Is- 300,000 U.S. citizens living in
Israel. Prime Minister Ben- the Jewish people, there Arab countries. rael estimates there are Israel.q