Muslim-Majority Countries Call for Boycott of French Goods

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed his head examined and he had lost his way.

Workers at a supermarket in the Jordanian capital of Amman remove French products off the shelves during a boycott of the country’s products.

(Photo: Twitter/AI-Monitor)

Muslims across the world have called for the boycott of French products, as the protest over the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad intensifies. Following the murder of French teacher, over a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad, French president Emmanuel Macron had said that country will not give up cartoons.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report, Kuwaiti stores pulled French yoghurts and bottles of sparkling water from their shelves, Qatar University cancelled a French culture week, and calls to stay away from the Carrefour grocery store chain were trending on social media in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It also reported protests in Iraq, Turkey and the Gaza Strip, and Pakistan’s parliament passed a resolution condemning the publication of cartoons of the prophet.

We Won’t Give Up Cartoons: Macron

BRUSSELS, July 1, 2019 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for the special summit of the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, on June 30, 2019. Leaders of the European Union

French President Emmanuel Macron had said that France would not "give up cartoons" depicting the Prophet Mohammed. He had said that the French teacher beheaded outside his school outside Paris earlier this month "was killed because Islamists want our future."

The teacher, Samuel Paty, was murdered after he had shown cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a class he was leading on free speech. "We will not give up cartoons," Macron had said, in response to this terror attack.

Muslims Condemn Macron’s Stand

Macron’s stance has drawn anger from both everyday people and some political leaders in the Muslim world. Egypt’s top cleric, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, who is also the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s highest seat of learning, also accused those who “justify insulting the prophet of Islam” of hypocrisy, reported AP.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed his head examined and had lost his way. France responded by recalling its ambassador to Turkey. Both Jordan and Pakistan have summoned the French ambassador in their countries to express their displeasure.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the French leader who chose to encourage anti-Muslim sentiment.