Iranian President Hassan Rohani has denounced violence committed in the name of Islam, in an apparent reference to a deadly attack on the office of a French satirical newspaper.

Iranian media quote Rohani as saying those who carry out extremist acts in the name of religion or Islam “provoke Islamophobia.”

Rohani appeared to be alluding to the January 7 attack in Paris, where gunmen massacred 12 people at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, which had angered some Muslims for lampooning radical Islam.

His remarks come one day after security forces thwarted efforts by Iranian journalists to stage a rally in solidarity with the journalists killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack.

They also follow a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemning the attack but saying it was “unacceptable” for free speech to be used to “humiliate monotheistic religions.”
Based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and AFP
RFE/RL