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Hashtag trends in support of President Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments on Islam in the Muslim world have sparked protests and calls for a boycott of French goods following the recent beheading of a school teacher in France for displaying a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on a classroom. Doing.
Solidarity with France #IstandandYouthFrance and #WestandWithFrance have been among the ‘top trends’ in India for the past 72 hours.
Thousands of Indians in this Hindu-majority country support France’s role on social media and praise President Macron’s ‘heroic’ leadership.
The ruling BJP leader and MP from West Delhi, Parvesh Sahib Singh, tweeted: ‘Tolerance should also be secular. #IstandandYouthFrance. French President, you have done a great job.
Priyanka Deo Jain, editor and host of the national frontline news channel TV-Nine, wrote on Twitter: ‘If a Christian / Hindu / Jewish teacher shows a cartoon of Mary / Krishna / Jesus in class and then beheads a Christian / Hindu / Jew, you must belong to that religion. It would be considered extremist fundamentalism. Why would Islam be an exception?
Several right-wing groups, including ‘Bharat Ka Rakshak’, who identify themselves as staunch patriots, have also posted on social media in support of French President Macron.
Newer hashtags like #WeldanMacron or #MacrendiHero are also emerging in India, with many now asking for more French products.
And all of this is happening in a context of repeated accusations of anti-Muslim policies against the government of Narendra Modi, which has been in power in India for the past year.
The Indian government has yet to make an official statement on the ongoing debate on France and Islam. However, many leaders of the ruling BJP have made their attitude clear.
Just last December, the Indian government passed a controversial citizenship law that offered religious citizenship to religious minorities in neighboring Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, but deprived Muslims of it.
Protests against that citizenship law sparked horrific communal riots in the capital Delhi in February, in which most of the victims were Muslims.
In recent years, many Muslims have been beaten to death in different parts of India for carrying beef. Needless to say, none of the perpetrators were punished in those incidents.
While an anti-Muslim atmosphere has gradually taken hold within the country, India’s diplomatic relations with France have also grown outside the country.
In 2016, the Indian government also signed a controversial defense agreement with France to purchase 36 state-of-the-art Rafale fighter jets.
The first batch of warplanes arrived in India five months ago, and military experts say they will bring huge benefits to India in terms of regional security.
In this context, observers agree that India will not take any action now criticizing President Macron. And it is reflected in the social networks of India, where there has been a virtual storm in support of France!
Source: BBC
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