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PARIS, KOMPAS.com – Saudi Arabia has harshly criticized the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, a publication championed by French President Emmanuel Macron, following the beheading of a teacher.
Statements by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia as reported by the news agency SPA On Tuesday (10/27/2020) he mentioned that the government “condemns offensive filming related to the Prophet of Muslims, Muhammad … or other prophets.”
The kingdom also “rejects attempts to link Islam and terrorism,” the statement said, adding that it “condemns all forms of terrorism, whoever it is.”
Also read: Iran accuses the French president of igniting extremism
The Saudis also said that “freedom of thought and cultural freedom are things to be respected with mutual respect, tolerance and peace.”
But the Saudis did not name France in the statement.
They also criticized Qatar and Morocco and Turkey.
The criticism came after President Macron said his country would not stop publishing or discussing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, a week after the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty.
The history teacher shows the students cartoons in a free expression lesson.
Macron’s statement sparked a wave of criticism and protests in several countries, including Iraq, Palestine, Libya and Syria.
Also read: Criticized by Erdogan, the French president may support European leaders
His statement also prompted calls for several countries to boycott French products.
The boycott was also carried out by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, due to what he called the so-called hostile attitude towards Muslims displayed by French leaders.
“Now I call on our nation, as has happened in France, not to buy Turkish brands, which is why I call on my people here and from now on: do not pay attention to the products labeled as French, do not buy these things”. Erdogan said in a televised speech on Monday (10/26/2020).
President Erdogan also called on the European Union to limit Macron’s so-called anti-Islamic agenda.
Also read: Erdogan calls on Turkish citizens to boycott French products
Boycotts of French products have occurred in several Middle Eastern countries as a form of protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s defense of the right to display cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The French government has also called for an end to the boycott.
The French Foreign Ministry said the so-called “baseless” boycott was “promoted by a radical minority group.”
“Wine Country” products have been recalled from stores in Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.
Also read: France urges the Middle East to stop boycotting its products amid the chaotic cartoons of the prophet Muhammad
French President Emmanuel Macron (right), flanked by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin (two left), addresses the press in front of a secondary school in Conflans Saint-Honorine, after a teacher was beheaded by an assailant who was shot dead by the police, on Friday (16). / 10/2020). A Paris high school teacher was killed and beheaded after he reportedly displayed and discussed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in his classroom.The backlash stemmed from Macron’s comments following the murder of a teacher who displayed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
The president said the teacher, Samuel Paty, was “assassinated because Islamists want our future,” but France “will not hand over our cartoons.”
Depictions of the prophet Muhammad can be very offensive to Muslims because Islamic tradition explicitly prohibits images of Muhammad and Allah.
Also read: Considering having insulted Islam, the president of France was criticized by Christians in Arabia
But state secularism, or secularism – is the center of national identity. Limiting freedom of speech to protect the sentiments of a particular community, depending on the state, undermines unity.
On Sunday, Macron reiterated his defense of French values in a tweet that read: “We will not give up forever.”
The political leaders of Turkey and Pakistan have enraged Macron, accusing him of disrespecting “freedom of belief” and marginalizing millions of Muslims in France.
On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, for the second time, that Emmanuel Macron should conduct a “mental health check” regarding his views on Islam.
Also read: Like the photo of the director beheaded in France, this man is on trial
How extensive is the boycott of French products?
“Wine Country” products were unloaded from supermarket shelves in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait on Sunday. French-made hair care and beauty products, for example, are no longer on display.
In Kuwait, a major retail union has ordered a boycott of goods in neighboring Britain.
The Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies, which is a non-governmental union, said it had issued a directive in response to the “repeated insults” against the Prophet Muhammad.
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry acknowledged the measure.
He wrote: “These calls for a boycott are unfounded and must be stopped immediately, along with all attacks against our country, which are being driven by radical minorities.”
Also read: Insult not accepted Turkey, France calls its ambassador
Calls for a similar boycott have circulated on the Internet in other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia.
The hashtag calling for a boycott of the French supermarket chain Carrefour is the second-most trending topic in Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Arab world.
Meanwhile, small-scale anti-French demonstrations have taken place in Libya, Gaza and northern Syria, where they control Turkish-backed militias.
Citing Turkish statistics, news agencies Reuters reported that France was recorded as the 10th largest exporter to Turkey. The state-owned company’s Renault car is reportedly one of the best-selling vehicles in Turkey.
Why is France involved in this dispute?
Macron’s strong defense of national secularism and criticism of radical Islam in the wake of Paty’s assassination has angered some figures in the Muslim world.
President Erdogan asked in his speech: “What is the problem of the individual named Macron with Islam and Muslims?”
Meanwhile, Pakistani leader Imran Khan accused the French leader of “attacking Islam, clearly not understanding anything about it.”
Also read: Erdogan joked with the president of France for a mind control
Samuel Paty, a professor of History and Geography in France who was beheaded by an 18-year-old boy named Abdoullakh Anzorov on Friday (10/16/2020).“President Macron has attacked and hurt the feelings of millions of Muslims in Europe and around the world,” he said in a tweet.
Earlier this month, before the teacher’s assassination, Macron announced a stricter bill to address what he called “Islamic separatism” in France.
He said that the Muslim minority in France, made up of some six million people, had the potential to form a “rival society.” He described Islam as a religion “in crisis.”
Amid attacks from various countries, France received support from Germany.
Also read: Beheading teachers in France have contact with militias in Syria
“In my opinion, President Erdogan’s personal attack on President Macron is a bad timing and unacceptable. The important thing is that we show solidarity with France in the fight against Islamic extremists, especially after the horrible acts of terrorism that occurred last week. last, “German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters. Monday.
Cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad have a dark and intense political legacy in France.
In 2015, 12 people were killed in an attack on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which published the cartoon.
Some of the largest Muslim communities in Western Europe have accused Macron of trying to suppress their religion and say his campaign risks legitimizing Islamophobia.
Also read: 7 people accused of beheading teachers in France, including 2 schoolchildren
What is the relationship between France and Turkey?
President Erdogan’s calls to boycott French products came after months of tension between the two countries.
Although both countries are members of the North Atlantic Defense Forces (NATO), they support the opposing parties in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as in the civil war in Libya.
President Macron has also clashed with President Erdogan over Turkey’s oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the Mediterranean. France sent fighter jets and frigates in August amid tensions.
The boycott call was also issued a day after Erdogan said Macron needed a “mental health check” for his strong views on Islam.
Erdogan’s comments prompted France to summon its ambassador to Ankara for consultations.
Also read: Samuel Paty’s tragedy fosters Islamic discourse in France
