▲ Bangladeshi protesters burning the image of President Macron
Anti-French protests are spreading around Islamic countries.
Protesters from Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Lebanon are boycotting French products and rallies criticizing French President Macron are spreading, the BBC reported.
This is a backlash against President Macron's declaration of shutting down mosques and organizations that promote extremism in response to being beheaded after a recent French weekly magazine Manpyeong satirizing the Islamic prophet Muhammad by a middle school teacher near Paris.
President Macron said that Islam is in crisis, and expressed his stance in advocating for freedom of expression in the magazine that published the cartoon.
In Islam, where portrayals and satire of Muhammad are taboo, President Macron is protesting against blasphemy, the BBC said.
As a result, protests have continued throughout the Muslim world for several days after the beheading of the teacher and the terrorist attacks in Notre Dame Cathedral in Nice in southern France.
In Pakistan, when thousands of protesters flocked to the French embassy in Islamabad, police fired tear gas and dismissed them.
Some protesters are said to have attempted to enter the embassy through police lines.
In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a scarecrow's imagery was held in the form of President Macron, and a demonstration was held with a placard that marked President Macron as a'Islam hater.'
(Photo = AFP, Yonhap News)