"Boycott French Products" trends over President Macron's comments on Islam

Middle East: Several Arab trade organisations have declared the boycott of French products, opposing the recent remarks made by President Emmanuel Macron on Islam.

Earlier this month, Macron vowed to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he stated was intimidating to take charge in some Muslim societies around France.

He also explained Islam as a religion “in crisis” globally. He announced the government would introduce a bill in December to uphold a 1905 law that formally segregates church and state in France.

His remarks, in interest to his reinforcement of ironic outlets publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, has directed to a social media operations asking for the boycott of French goods from supermarkets in Arab nations and Turkey.

Hashtags such as the #ExceptGodsMessenger in Arabic and #BoycottFrenchProducts in English trended in the countries including Qatar, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,Palestine, Egypt, and Turkey.

In Kuwait, the chairman and members of the committee of directors of the Al-Naeem Cooperative Society chose to boycott all French goods and to eliminate them from supermarket counters.

The Dahiyat al-Thuhr organisation took the corresponding step, stating: “Based on the position of French President Emmanuel Macron and his support for the infamous sketches against our dear prophet, we chose to eliminate all French products from the market and offices until further notification.”

In Qatar, the Wajbah Dairy company declared a boycott of French products and promised to provide options, according to their Twitter account.

Al Meera Consumer Goods Company, a Qatari joint stock company, declared on Twitter: “We have rapidly removed French products from our counters until further notice.”

“We affirm that as a public company, we work according to a concept compatible with our true religion, our instituted customs and traditions, and in a way that assists our nation and our faith and meets the aspirations of our customers.”

Qatar University also entered the campaign. Its management has suspended a French Cultural Week event indefinitely, calling the “intentional insult of Islam and its representatives”.