Hollande reassures Muslims: France is a friend, but it is a country that has rules
French President Francois Hollande reassured Muslims on Thursday that his country respected them and their religion but said France would not compromise on its commitment to freedom and democracy.
Speaking a week after Islamist militant violence that killed 17 people in Paris, he told a meeting at the Institute of the Arab World in Paris that Muslims were "the first victims of fanaticism, fundamentalism and intolerance".
Hollande's speech struck a balance between France's commitment to protect its 5 million-strong Muslim minority and to defend free speech even if Muslims find it offensive.
"Islam is compatible with democracy and we should refuse any confusion (about this)," Hollande said at the Institute, where "We are all Charlie" was written in French and Arabic on the building's facade.
Hollande also addressed the Arab world: "France is a friend, but it is a country that has rules, principles and values. One of them is not negotiable - freedom and democracy."
