(We call for) a boycott of all French products and urge the Indonesian government to exert pressure on and issue a stern warning to the French government.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has sought a boycott on French products in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s “reluctance to apologize” for his remarks on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

“(We call for) a boycott of all French products and urge the Indonesian government to exert pressure on and issue a stern warning to the French government,” MUI deputy chairman KH Muhyiddin Junaidi said here on Friday.

Junaidi appealed to the Indonesian government to temporarily recall its Ambassador to France until President Macron withdraws his remarks and apologizes to Muslims worldwide for his “Islamophobic” statements.

He said Muslims do not want to seek enemies, but want to co-exist with adherents of other faiths peacefully and harmoniously.

He also appealed to the French president to immediately stop any action “insulting” Prophet Muhammad. The UN Commission for Human Rights has opined that insulting Prophet Muhammad is not freedom of expression, he noted.

The MUI deputy chief said he supports the stance taken by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the boycott of French products.

"(We) urge the European Union Court to take swift action and punishment against France for its President Emmanuel Macron's action and attitude insulting and harassing Prophet Muhammad SAW," he remarked.

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Meanwhile, the presidium of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), Indonesia has said it hopes the Indonesian government will immediately give a response to and take a stance on the French president's statement by encouraging him to apologize to Muslims.

"This is to prevent the polemic that may disintegrate adherents of different faiths from dragging on," chief of presidium of MER-C, Dr. Sarbini Abdul Murad, said.

He said MER-C regretted and denounced Macron's “irresponsible statement” that may disrupt harmony among adherents of different faiths in the world.

President Macron's remarks on Islam and defense of cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad, citing “freedom of expression”, have fueled a backlash from Muslims worldwide over the past few days.

Macron's remarks following the beheading of Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, for showing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad during a class on October 6, 2020, have also sparked controversy over their “Islamophobic” content.

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Abdullakh Anzorov, 18, who killed Paty on October 16, 2020, was later shot dead by the French police. Anzorov had felt offended by Paty showing the cartoons to students.

"France will not give up our cartoons," BBC quoted Macron as saying after Paty's death.

Following his death, Paty was bestowed the Légion d'honneur, France's highest honor.

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Translator: Anom Prihantoro/Suharto
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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