“Muslims are the primary victims of the ‘cult of hatred’—empowered by colonial regimes and exported by their own clients,” Zarif tweeted Monday.
“Insulting 1.9 billion Muslims—and their sanctities—for the abhorrent crimes of such extremists is an opportunistic abuse of freedom of speech,” he added.
“It only fuels extremism,” Zarif warned.
His comments came after Macron pledged to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France.
He also described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and said the government would present a bill in December to strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France.
His remarks, in addition to his backing of satirical outlets publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), have drawn widespread condemnation from Muslims across the world.
