‘We respect Islam,’ says French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
“We want to promote cooperation and dialogue with the OIC,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a telephone conversation with OIC Secretary-General Dr. Youssef al-Uthaymeen.
The OIC Secretary General said that insulting religious figures was not related to freedom of expression, adding that the OIC’s stance on terrorism and extremism was unshakable.
It should be noted that there is a wave of outrage against France in Islamic countries for broadcasting anti-Islamic material and a boycott of French products was started.
French products were removed from the markets of Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan and demonstrations took place outside the French embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
In Syria, protesters set fire to pictures of French President Macron. The hashtags ‘Boycott French Products’ and ‘Boycott France’ also kept trending on social media.
Retailers in Kuwait have boycotted French products and removed French goods from their stores and superstores.
According to Kuwait’s Central Bureau of Statistics, various goods worth 250 million dinars (83 834.7 million) were imported from France in 2019.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Kuwaiti Mission in France strongly condemned Emmanuel Macron’s statement on Islam.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was furious at the French president’s anti-Islamic remarks and advised him to undergo a psychiatric examination.
