The largest Islamic group in Bangladesh demanded during mass demonstrations today, Monday, the government to cut ties with France within 24 hours, at a time when French schools observed a minute of silence in honor of teacher Samuel Patti, against the background of the crisis of offensive cartoons of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.
Tens of thousands of Muslims demonstrated across Bangladesh - which is the third largest Muslim country in terms of population and has a population of more than 160 million - to protest against statements by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he defended the publication of cartoons insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.
"We give the government 24 hours to cut diplomatic relations with France," said Secretary-General of the Guardians of Islam Group, Junaid Babungri, adding to the protesters, "If our demands are not met, we will announce our next step," and he called for closing the French embassy in his country.
The government of Bangladesh has yet to comment on the demands of Islamist parties in the country.
Reuters quoted a senior official in the Foreign Ministry - who requested anonymity - as saying, "We will not side with any party," and referred to the tightening of security measures around the French embassy.
Today, tens of thousands of people took part in a demonstration in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to protest Macron's position regarding the repeated publication of cartoons insulting to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and called for a boycott of French products.
The Bangladesh police estimated the number of participants at about 50,000 people, while the organizers spoke of the participation of more than 100,000 people.
A march from the largest mosque in Bangladesh was prevented from approaching the headquarters of the French embassy, as the authorities tightened security measures.
Macron sparked a wave of protests in the Islamic world by saying that France would not back down from its laws that allow the publication of such cartoons, after a Chechen boy killed teacher Samuel Patti in a Paris suburb after showing drawings of this kind to his students during a class on freedom of expression.
In France, schools observed a minute of silence on Monday in honor of Patti, after about 12 million students returned to their schools for the first time since the 47-year-old teacher was killed on the eve of a two-week school holiday.
At 11 am, the students observed a minute of silence in honor of Patti, and teachers reminded their students of their rights and duties in a "free democracy".
The high school Patti used to work at will remain closed to students until Tuesday.
France has deployed more soldiers to protect places of worship and schools in the wake of more attacks since Patty was killed, including an attack on a church in Nice and another targeting a priest in Lyon.
On the other hand, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the publication of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo insulting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, was a "disturbing and provocative attack on the sanctities of others, and a form of terrorist humor."
In a speech he gave during the opening of the new academic year of the Turkish State University of National Defense, Akar added that there is hostility towards Turkey, Islam and Muslims from some European countries in particular.