Calls to boycott French goods are increasing across the Muslim world and more countries are now joining in the movement.
Muslim countries have condemned recent remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron in defense of the cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, considered to be sacrilegious and blasphemous in Islam.
Macron's remarks came after the murder of a French high school teacher Samuel Paty earlier this month. Paty was killed and beheaded after he had shown a cartoon depiction of the Prophet Mohammed during a free-speech class. He was killed by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee raised in France. The killer, who had posted photos of his victim's severed head on social media, was gunned down by French police after he resisted arrest.
The French president said that the country was not giving up the caricatures, which have since become the symbol of free speech and the right to expression in the country. He also pledged to rid the country of extreme Islamism and terrorism.
"We will not give in, ever. We respect all differences in a spirit of peace. We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate. We will always be on the side of human dignity and universal values," Macron said.
France's stance on the matter has sparked demonstrations and protests in Muslim-majority countries worldwide. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he was calling on the country to boycott French goods in protest. He also called on European leaders to put a "stop" to Macron's "campaign of hatred."
In Kuwait, a prominent domestic hypermarket operator announced that it would be removing French products from its shelves in protest. Grocery shops in Jordan have also followed suit, with some posting notices outside their establishment declaring that they are no longer selling French goods. Retail and grocery outlets in Qatar have also done the same.
France's foreign ministry mentioned in a statement that the boycotts on the country's products are "unjustified" and they have to be ended "immediately." The ministry added that Macron's remarks were "distorted" as the country simply wants to protect the freedom of speech, conscience, expression and religion.
