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Egyptian, Iranian leaders criticize French president over comments on freedom of expression

French President Emmanuel Macron angered many Muslim leaders when he defended images of the prophet of Islam after a Parisian teacher was beheaded for showing such images.
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Egyptian and Iranian leaders have joined the chorus of Muslim politicians criticizing France over recent comments pertaining to Islam and freedom of expression. There is a growing rift between France and parts of the Muslim world over the French president’s remarks on images deemed offensive to Muslims.

“If some have the freedom to express what is in their thoughts I imagine that this stops when it comes to offending the feelings of more than 1.5 billion people,” said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in televised remarks Wednesday, referring to the world’s Muslim population.

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