New Delhi: Calls to boycott French products are growing in the Middle East after France President Emmanuel Macron said his country “will not give up cartoons” depicting the Prophet Mohammad and ‘Islamists will never have France’s future’.
Macron’s remarks came while paying homage to Samual Paty, a French teacher who was beheaded outside his school on 16 October.
47-year-old Paty had shown cartoons of the Prophet to his students in a civics class on freedom of expression, which had angered many Muslim parents. He was killed on his way home by an 18-year-old Chechnya-born man.
The suspect was shot dead by the police minutes after the attack.
‘Mental checks’
On Saturday, around 200 people protested outside the residence of France’s ambassador to Israel, carrying banners in Arabic in support of the Prophet.
On social networking site Twitter, #boycottfranceproducts was trending with over 82,000 tweets.
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Macron, saying the French President needed ‘mental checks’ over his attitude towards Muslims.
“What is the problem of this person called Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level. What else can be said to a head of state who does not understand freedom of belief and who behaves in this way to millions of people living in his country who are members of a different faith? First of all, have mental checks.”, he said during a televised address.
Jordan’s foreign ministry also condemned the continued publication of the cartoons insulting the Prophet “under the pretext of freedom of expression”.
It also expressed “extreme dissatisfaction with these practices, which are harmful to the feelings of nearly 2 billion Muslims”, in a tweet.
دانت وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين اليوم استمرار نشر الرسوم المسيئة للرسول محمد صلى الله عليه وسلّم تحت ذريعة حرية التعبير.
وأكد @DAAlfayez إدانة المملكة الاستمرار في نشر مثل هذه الرسوم واستياءها البالغ من هذه الممارسات التي تمثل إيذاء لمشاعر ما يقارب من ٢ مليار مسلم. pic.twitter.com/TZxwkpFb1p
— وزارة الخارجية الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) October 24, 2020
Meanwhile, supermarkets in Kuwait have started removing French products from their shops to support the boycott campaign.
The entire Islamic world should follow Kuwait to protest against France and its latest shameful attack on the faith of Muslims. #boycottfranceproducts #boycottfrance #MacronGoneMad pic.twitter.com/6Ed4u8rrQn
— Ansar Abbasi (@AnsarAAbbasi) October 25, 2020
Many Twitter users changed their profile pictures accusing the French President of spreading Islamophobia.
I Matloob Hussain Tahir strongly Protest against disrespect of our beloved Prophet MUHAMMAD (PBUH) what is happening in france is not freedom of speech or expression but blatant display of religious hatred.#boycottfranceproducts#IslamophobiainFrance pic.twitter.com/vHEm4tGN7A
— مطلوب حسین طاہر (@matloob_ht) October 24, 2020
Whether it is France or any other country, it should stop doing things that hurt Muslims ۔Shame on the French government for allowing a sketcher against our beloved Prophet ﷺ#ProphetMuhammadSAW#boycottfranceproducts #boycottfrance @WeTeamISP pic.twitter.com/QipBhNS5mu
— ابو عبدالحنان گوندل (@M_Ng86) October 25, 2020
Also read: Charlie Hebdo’s decision to republish Prophet Muhammad cartoons spark widespread protests
Shameful
I think India should follow France and reduce the Muslim population in country as suggested by Sam .
I doubt u would have kept silent if something was said against about what ur belief teaches u …
It’s funny you say Muslims are terrorists for what that man did in Paris! Last year, the worst terrorist attacks was the murder of +50 Muslims in New Zealand by a Christian far-right. Should I blame all Christians for what that man did? Terrorism is not a religion, it is an act. #Thinkplease.
Really they have all mental problem. As they know that we Muslims cannot say against Jesus (Eisa Alysalaam) as we respect him as a prophet as other prophets send by God including our prophet pbuh as last and seal of the prophets.
MAcroon, someone who has courage to call Spade a Spade. Very different then our nation’s self styled secularists, who are actually minority appeasers.
*cough*intolerance*cough*
Man he is the hero. He talked about real concern. France have just 5% but they are concerning lot. China have less than 1% they are also concerned lot. What about us we have 20% no one cares. It will be big problem for india in future.