Why are Middle East nations calling for boycott of French products?

Ever since France's President Emmanuel Macron refused to give up the right to show Prophet Mohammed cartoons, calls for a boycott of French products have grown in several Arab countries. After a history teacher was beheaded in France for showing Prophet Mohammed cartoons to his pupils, Macron, who was speaking at a ceremony that was held to pay homage to the slain teacher, had said that his country will not give up cartoons, while calling the gruesome killing an attack by an Islamist terrorist. 

Read: France Reacts After Erdogan Questions Macron's Mental Health

Macron's comment on Prophet Mohammed cartoons garnered widespread condemnation from Muslims around the globe, particularly from Arab countries. Calls for boycott of French goods have grown in the Middle East, with establishments in Kuwait and Qatar already practicing it. On October 23, non-governmental consumer society in Kuwait called for the boycott of French products. In Doha, supermarkets have started to remove French-made products from shelves in order to register their protest. Netizens are taking to social media to express their anger over Macron's comment as #BoycottFrenchProducts trends on social media.

Read: Turkey Says It Offered Condolences Over Teacher's Beheading After France Recalls Envoy

The French foreign ministry in a statement said that the calls for boycott are baseless and must cease immediately. "We will not give in, ever. We respect all differences in a spirit of peace. We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate. We will always be on the side of human dignity and universal values," Macron tweeted on Sunday. Macron also posted a message in the Arabic language saying nothing can hold back France ever, adding that the Republic will never accept hate speech and will always defend rational debate. 

Read: France Withdraws Ambassador From Turkey After Erdogan Questions Macron's Mental State

What triggered the row?

Samuel Paty, a history teacher was killed on October 16 by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee, who was born in Russia and had migrated to France. The attacker named Abdoulakh A. was killed by the French police on the same day in an operation a few kilometres away from the crime spot. A knife and an airsoft gun were recovered. Eleven people have been arrested in connection with the murder so far, including the grandfather and 17-year-old brother of the killed attacker. 

Paty was killed for showing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed while discussing freedom of expression in one of his classes. He chose the Prophet Mohammed cartoons because two brothers had attacked the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 for publishing them. A few weeks ago a knife-wielding man had attacked people near the same spot over Charlie Hebdo's decision to republish the cartoon to mark the start of the trials of people involved in the 2015 attack. 

Read: Israel: Hundreds Protest Against Macron's Remarks On Islam And Its Crackdown In France

(Image Credit: AP)