Muslims across several countries have called for a boycott of French products, as the protest over the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad intensifies.
Soon after the brutal murder of French teacher, Samuel Paty on October 16 over a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad, French president Emmanuel Macron had said that country will not give up cartoons. He had said that the French teacher beheaded and murdered outside his school in Paris earlier this month ‘was killed because Islamists want our future.’
A rift between France and Muslim nations is increasing after Macron said that Islam was in ‘crisis’.
The French teacher was killed for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.
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.
Several Kuwaiti stores took town French yoghurts and bottles of sparkling water from their racks to mark their protests. Qatar University called off a French culture week and many began boycotting Carrefour grocery store chain in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Some Muslim countries such as Kuwait responded to the pressures and boycott that France imposed on French Muslims these days by removing French products from their supermarket shelves. A great example to follow for Djibouti which in turn depends on this products. pic.twitter.com/mvcMOTUQJQ
— The Great Djibouti (@greatdjibouti) October 23, 2020
In defence of the honour of the Messenger of Allah, Sayyiduna Muhammad (SAW) – Supermarket in Jenin, Palestine, offloads French products and urges boycott#Palestine #FranceBoycott #France pic.twitter.com/FZ3noIHLM3
— Masjid al Aqsa (@firstqiblah) October 24, 2020
Demonstrations were also reported in Iraq, Turkey and the Gaza Strip. Pakistan’s parliament also passed a resolution condemning the cartoons of the prophet.
Macron’s comments have received massive criticism from common people and political leaders in the Muslim world.
Egypt’s top cleric, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, accused those who ‘justify insulting the prophet of Islam’ of hypocrisy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed his head examined and had lost his way.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that the French leader chose to encourage anti-Muslim sentiment.
