President Macron's Comments Are Considered As An Islamic Perspective, Arab Countries Boycott French Products

JAKARTA - French President Emmanuel Macron's comments regarding Islam as a religion in crisis and his promise to "fight Islamic separatism" drew criticism from Arab countries. Several trade associations in Arab countries announced that they would boycott French products.

Quoting Al Jazeera, Monday 26 October, in early October, Macron pledged to fight "Islamic separatism", which he said threatened to take control of several Muslim communities across France. Macron is also credited with describing Islam as a "in crisis" religion in the world. Hence, the French government would propose a draft law to strengthen the 1905 law that officially separated church and state.

In addition, Macron's comments, which seemed to support the satirical outlet publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, led to a social media campaign. The campaign is a call to boycott French products in supermarkets in Arab countries and Turkey.

In Kuwait for example, the chairman and members of the board of directors of the Al Naeem Cooperative Society decided to boycott all French products and get them off supermarket shelves. The movement was also followed by the Dahiyat al Thuhr Association.

"Based on the position of French President Emmanuel Macron and his support for offensive cartoons against our beloved prophet, we have decided to remove all French products from markets and branches until further notice," Dahiyat al Thuhr wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry warned against French support for abuses and discriminatory policies linking Islam with terrorism. The Kuwaiti foreign ministry also said France had "faked reality, insulted Islamic teachings and offended Muslims around the world."

Then in Qatar, the company Wajbah Dairy announced a boycott of French products and promised to provide alternatives. Another company, Al Meera Consumer Goods Company, a Qatari joint-stock company, announced that it would immediately remove French products from shelves until further notice.

"We affirm that as a national company, we work according to a vision that is in line with our true religion, our established customs and traditions, and in a way that serves our country and our beliefs and fulfills the aspirations of our customers." says a caption from Al Meera Consumer Goods Company.

Qatar University also joined the campaign. The university even postponed the French Culture Week event indefinitely, citing the deliberate misuse of Islam.

On Friday 23 October, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned France's "continuing attacks" on Muslims by insulting religious symbols. The secretariat of the Jeddah-based organization said in a statement that it was shocked by official political rhetoric issued by several French officials that offended French-Islamic relations and sparked feelings of resentment.

Meanwhile the Cooperation Council for Arab States in the Gulf (GCC) described President Macron's remarks as irresponsible. The GCC also said what Macron said was aimed at spreading a culture of hatred among the people.

"At a time when efforts should be directed at promoting culture, tolerance and dialogue between cultures and religions, rejected statements and calls to publish an insulting image of the Prophet (Muhammad) were published," said Council Secretary General, Nayef al Hajraf.

Al Hajraf called on world leaders, thinkers and opinion leaders to reject hate speech and insults against religions and their symbols. This is to respect the feelings of Muslims, instead of becoming prisoners of Islamophobia.