Emre Gurkan Abay and Ali Cura
30 October 2020•Update: 31 October 2020
MOSCOW
Newly retired Mixed Martial Arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov on Friday harshly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron over his anti-Islam remarks.
"May the Almighty disfigure the face of this creature [Macron] and all its followers, who, under the slogan of freedom of speech, offend the feelings of more than one and a half billion Muslim believers," Nurmagomedov from Russia said on Instagram.
The 32-year-old said that the Muslims love their Prophet Muhammad more than anyone, including their mothers, fathers, children and wives.
"Believe me, these provocations will come back to them," he added.
The former MMA star also shared a verse from the holy Quran.
"Surely the ones who hurt Allah and His Messenger, Allah has cursed them in the present (life) and the Hereafter, and He has prepared for them a degrading torment," the Surah Al-Ahzab verse 57 says.
Nurmagomedov’s post also featured a boot print on Macron’s face.
Macron attacks Islam
Earlier this month, Macron described Islam as a religion "in crisis", and announced plans for tougher laws to tackle what he called "Islamist separatism" in France.
French Muslims have accused him of trying to repress their religion, and legitimizing Islamophobia.
Turkey has also condemned Macron’s attitude toward Muslims and Islam, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the French leader needed "mental health check".
Macron's attitude against Islam, the republication of caricatures insulting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and their projection on the walls of buildings have triggered boycotts of French products in several countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria, Sudan, Palestine, and Morocco.
*Writing by Can Erozden
