Several Arab trade associations have announced a boycott of French products, protesting recent comments made by President Emmanuel Macron on Islam.
Earlier this month, Macron pledged to fight “Islamist separatism,” which he said threatened to take over some Muslim communities in France.
He also described Islam as a religion “in crisis” around the world and said the government would introduce a bill in December to strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France.
His comments, in addition to his endorsement of satirical media that publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, have led to a campaign on social media calling for a boycott of French products from supermarkets in Arab countries and Turkey.
Hashtags like #BoycottFrenchProducts in English and Arabic #ExceptGodsMessenger were trending in countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
In Kuwait, the president and members of the board of directors of the Al-Naeem Cooperative Society decided to boycott all French products and remove them from supermarket shelves.
The Dahiyat al-Thuhr association took the same step, saying: “Based on the position of French President Emmanuel Macron and his support for the offensive cartoons against our beloved prophet, we decided to withdraw all French products from the market and branches until further notice. . “
Putting an insulting image of the Prophet (s) on a French building is an unprecedented challenge and an insult to one and a half billion Muslims around the world.
As Muslims, we must boycott #Boycottfrance #boycottfrenchproducts pic.twitter.com/lauaiPofKG– Muhammad Akeel (@ MuhammadAkeel0) October 24, 2020
Kuwait started who’s next # إلا_رسول_الله#Koweit #Kuwait pic.twitter.com/0t7wEE5DRq
– عـبداللـه العويهان (@ a_alowaihan1) October 24, 2020
#Tuneans throw the #BoycottFrenchProducts campaign in response to attacks on #Islam Y #prophetMuhammed in #France.# تونس # قاطعوا_المنتجات_الفرنسية # إلا_رسول_الله # فرنسا pic.twitter.com/AKRsI28y9A
– Mourad TEYEB (مــراد التـائـب) (@MouradTeyeb) October 23, 2020
In Qatar, the Wajbah Dairy company announced a boycott of French products and pledged to provide alternatives, according to its Twitter account.
Al Meera Consumer Goods Company, a Qatari limited company, announced on Twitter: “We have immediately recalled French products from our shelves until further notice.”
“We affirm that, as a national company, we work in accordance with a vision consistent with our true religion, our established customs and traditions, and in a way that serves our country and our faith and meets the aspirations of our customers.”
The University of Qatar also joined the campaign. His administration has indefinitely postponed a French Cultural Week event, citing “deliberate abuse of Islam and its symbols.”
(1/2) عطفا على مستجدات الأحداث الأخيرة والمتعلقة بالإساءة المتعمدة للإسلام ورموزه, فقد قررت إدارة جامعة قطر تأجيل فعالية الأسبوع الفرنسي الثقافي إلى أجل غير مسمى.
– جامعة قطر (@QatarUniversity) October 23, 2020
In a statement on Twitter, the university said that any prejudice against Islamic beliefs, sanctities and symbols is “totally unacceptable, as these crimes harm universal human values and the highest moral principles that contemporary societies hold highly.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) described Macron’s statements as “irresponsible” and said they are aimed at spreading a culture of hatred among the peoples.
“At a time when efforts should be directed towards promoting culture, tolerance and dialogue between cultures and religions, those rejected statements and calls for publishing insulting images of the Prophet (Muhammad) are published, peace and blessings be upon him, “said the council’s secretary general, Nayef al-Hajraf.
Al-Hajraf called on world leaders, thinkers and opinion leaders to reject hate speech and contempt for religions and their symbols, and to respect the sentiments of Muslims, rather than fall captive to Islamophobia.
In a statement, the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned against supporting abuses and discriminatory policies that link Islam to terrorism, saying it “represents a falsification of reality, insults the teachings of Islam and offends the feelings of Muslims. all over the world”.
On Friday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned what it said was France’s ongoing attack on Muslims by insulting religious symbols.
The secretariat of the Jeddah-based organization said in a statement that it is shocked by official political rhetoric issued by some French officials that offends Franco-Islamic relations and fuels feelings of hatred for the achievements of political parties.
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