A day after the massacre in Paris, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Haji Yakoob Qureshi has offered to pay Rs. 51 crores to attackers who orchestrated the Charlie Hebdo tragedy.
Qureshi first made headlines in 2006 when he offered the amount to anyone who killed the Danish cartoonist who created a controversial cartoon of Prophet Muhammed. Following the massacre at the French publication, he has offered the same money to the gunmen.
“I am ready to pay the money if they come and demand the declared reward.”
According to Hindustan Times , Haji Yakoob Qureshi has said that whoever dare show disrespect for Prophet will invite death like the cartoonists and journalists of Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
At a time when the world came together in solidarity for those who lost their lives protecting the freedom of speech, this ‘reward’ offered by Oureshi has caused legitimate outrage.
Standing firmly against the insult of the Prophet and of Islam, he believes that the terror attack on Hebdo was justified.
“Those who dare insult Prophet Mohammed deserve death and there is no need to initiate legal procedure against them,” claimed Qureshi.
On January 7, three gunmen stormed a completely mundane editorial meeting and killed 12 people, including the editor of the rebel publication, Stephane Charbonnier.
Known for its fearless satire and biting humour, Hebdo made headlines when it carried a string of cartoons about Islam and the Prophet Muhammed. The magazine’s scandalous and clever caricatures against radical Islam and their blatant refusal to confine to being more politically correct, ultimately led to this horrifying end.
The shooting at French satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris was an attempt to gun down the freedom of speech.
Twelve unsuspecting people, like you and me, DIED here. The spirit of the press was beaten down. And statements like Qureshi’s prove that, despite everything that happened, nothing has really changed.
So let us encourage terrorism then, shall we?
Feature image source: The Independent