According to the Russian president, disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not represent an expression of artistic freedom.
While addressing his annual news conference on Thursday, he said that blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) violates the right to religious freedom and violates the feelings of people who practice Islam.
The Russian president said this prompted extremist reprisals, citing the attack on Charlie Hebdo‘s editorial office in Paris after it published blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as an example.
As well, Putin criticized websites that posted photographs of Nazis, including the Immortal Regiment, an online memorial to Russians who perished during World War II.
He said artistic freedom has its limits and shouldn’t impinge on other liberties, although he praised the concept in general.
He said that Russians have become accustomed to respecting the traditions of each other as a multiethnic and multiconfessional state.
The quality of respect is in short supply in some countries, he noted.
