Muslims across the world have called for a boycott of French products after the French President Emmanuel Macron remarked, “the country will not give up making and showing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.”
The protests have been paced up further as many Muslim-majority countries have joined hands to criticize Macron over his comments on blasphemy and depiction of portraits of Prophet Muhammad. Soon after the beheading of a French teacher, Samuel Paty, on October 16 over a caricature of Prophet Muhammad, French president Emmanuel Macron had stated that the country will not give up cartoons. He had said that the French teacher who was murdered outside his school in Paris earlier this month “was killed because Islamists want our future.”
Macron said that Islam was in “crisis”, this statement has intensified protests, and the Muslim world has expressed anger over this statement.
Before this, the French teacher was beheaded for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students. He had shown cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a lecture he was delivering on free speech. “We will not give up cartoons,” Macron has said, in response to this terror attack.
Some Muslim-majority countries such as Kuwait responded to the boycott that France imposed on French Muslims by taking down French products from their supermarket shelves. Qatar University called off a French culture week and many boycotted Carrefour grocery store chain in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Protests were also reported in Iraq, Turkey, and Gaza. Pakistan’s parliament has also passed a resolution condemning the portraits of Prophet Muhammad.
We do not insult anyone's religion, why must they always attack Islam with their tongues.??
Peace be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad, his love keeps increasing in our hearts, and there's nothing Macron and his friends can do.
Islam forever and ever! #boycottfrenchproducts pic.twitter.com/888mmB0OZp— F A A R E E S 💫 🇵🇸 (@MFaarees_) October 27, 2020
Macron’s comments have received massive criticism from political leaders to common people in the Muslim world.
Putting an insulting picture of the Prophet (pbuh)in a French building is an unprecedented challenge and an insult to a billion and a half of Muslims around the world
As Muslims, we must boycott #BoycottFrance #boycottfrenchproducts pic.twitter.com/lauaiPofKG— Muhammad Akeel (@muhammadakeel0) October 24, 2020
Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Macron stating “he needs his head examined and has lost his way.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also claimed that the French leader chose to encourage anti-Muslim sentiment. He posted a long thread on Twitter against Macron’s remarks,
through encouraging the display of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam & our Prophet PBUH. By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, President Macron has attacked & hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe & across the world.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 25, 2020
In the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, tens of thousands of people have marched down on streets burning the posters of president Macron.
https://twitter.com/SakibulHoque8/status/1321060683157442560?s=08
However, in India, the hashtags of #IsupportFrance and #weSupportFrance, in solidarity with President Macron were trending.
