Pakistan minister retracts Macron 'Nazi' jibe after French demands

Pakistan minister retracts Macron 'Nazi' jibe after French demands
Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari deleted her tweet after an angry response from France's foreign ministry.
2 min read
23 November, 2020
President Macron's actions were compared to the Nazi's treatment of Jews in Germany [Getty]
A Pakistani minister withdrew comments comparing French President Emmanuel Macron's treatment of Muslims to the Nazis' persecution of Jews, after the remarks triggered outrage from Paris.

France's foreign minister demanded the remarks tweeted by Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari be withdrawn over the weekend.

"Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis did to the Jews - Muslim children will get ID numbers (other children won't) just as Jews were forced to wear the yellow star on their clothing for identification," Mazari said, referring to French plans to issue children with identification numbers to prevent home-schooling.

An article attached to the tweet was later amended by its publishers to reflect that France's plans would apply to all French children, not only those from Muslim families.

On Saturday, France's foreign ministry slammed the tweet and article as "blatant lies, imbued with an ideology of hatred and violence".

Mazari, who said France's ambassador had informed her of the article's correction, later said: "The article I had cited has been corrected by the relevant publication, I have also deleted my tweet on the same."

Relations between France and several Muslim-majority states remain rocky months after President Macron defended the re-publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The feud has intensified with France's introduction of legislation aimed at combatting extremism, which critics have slammed as curbing civil liberties.

Last week, Macron gave French Muslim leaders 15 days to agree to a charter affirming secular values and that Islam in France is a religion and not a political movement.

Macron's remarks on Muslims and Islam in recent months have sparked protests around the world, including in Pakistan, where lawmakers passed a resolution accusing Macron of anti-Muslim "hate-mongering".

Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to stay connected