KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — Islam does not need self-righteous and self-proclaimed defenders and has lasted over a millennia without them, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today in condemning violence committed in the name of the religion.

Speaking at an International Conference on Islam, Anwar urged Muslims to plainly denounce the barbarous acts committed by militant groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State, and the recent attack in Paris, instead of justifying and rationalising the murders.

“Islam has survived for almost 1,500 years without these self-righteous self-proclaimed defenders of the faith. It can certainly go on for another thousand years and more without them. The Prophet was sent unto mankind as a blessing and guidance, not a preacher of terrorism,” Anwar said in his keynote address.

“The response to the killings in Paris must also be unequivocal condemnation. It is cold blooded massacre, plain and simple. There’s nothing to justify or rationalise. It is also not the time for moralising over US, French or European foreign policy,” he added, referring to the recent attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Despite that, Anwar maintained that there is no such thing as “absolute freedom of expression”, and urged for a clear line to be drawn between the freedom and hate crimes.

“If someone makes a speech clearly liable to arouse feelings of distrust, rejection or even hatred towards a particular group of people of a particular ethnic background, it is incitement to racial hatred,” the Permatang Pauh MP said.

“His freedom of expression must then become secondary to the right to dignity and freedom from harassment or vilification on account of ethnic or religious differences.”

He also rejected the claim that the Paris killings were part of a war between Islam and freedom of speech, saying that it instead involved terrorists and murderers who will keep killing to battle against what the free world and Muslims want.

Twelve editorial staff members from Charlie Hebdo were killed in a massacre on January 7 when Islamist gunmen stormed the magazine’s office in Paris to protest its publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Since then, hardline Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia has urged Muslim leaders to threaten France with a “holy war” to prevent a repeat of the incident.