On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron’s recent crusade against “Islamic separatism.” He claimed that Macron’s comments proved that he needed “treatment” and “mental checks.” Addressing his Justice and Development (AK) Party on Saturday, he said, “What is the problem of this person called Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level.” He added, “What else can be said to a head of state who does not understand freedom of belief who behaves in this way to millions of people living in his country who are members of a different faith?”
Consequently, on Sunday, the French Foreign Ministry announced its decision to recall its ambassador to Turkey. The statement by the ministry said that its decision was a consequence of the “hateful and slanderous propaganda against France, testifying to a desire to stir up hatred” against France and French institutions. A statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also condemned the “direct insults against the President of the Republic, expressed at the highest level of the Turkish state.” This comes as a fresh blow to the already deteriorating relations between the two NATO allies, who are facing off on several issues, such as the conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Erdogan’s statement comes in response to the French president’s speech on 6 October, wherein he vowed to pursue significant changes in French laws to combat growing radicalism amongst French Muslims. The announcement was shortly followed by the death of Samuel Paty, a 47-year old secondary school teacher, who was beheaded in Conflans Saint-Honorine. The assailant was identified as an 18-year-old Chechen refugee. The attack was in response to a classroom discussion conducted by Paty in which he displayed cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, which was considered offensive by several Muslim students and their parents. Consequently, cities across France, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux, witnessed large-scale demonstrations, where protestors came out in support of the deceased teacher. Simultaneously, an anti-terror investigation has been initiated by French authorities into Paty’s death.
These incidents also come after the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo—whose offices in Paris were targeted by ISIS-affiliated gunmen in 2015—announced that it will reprint the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad that had apparently sparked the attack. The cartoons were released earlier in September to mark the start of the trial of alleged accomplices to the massacre. Shortly after, two people were stabbed outside the publication’s office.
Consequently, Macron announced a crackdown on Muslim organisations in France, which he believes are sponsoring and propagating violence and terrorism. He also defended the republication of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons and portrayed it as a symbolic representation of France’s commitment to freedom of speech and secularism.
Macron’s recent comments have attracted criticism from Islamic communities across the world. Qatar, who is also an ally of Turkey, indefinitely postponed its French cultural week. Further, individual distribution chains in the country have withdrawn French products. Similarly, the Kuwaiti parliament condemned Macron’s statements, with travel agencies discontinuing trips to France. Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesperson for Iran’s parliament, also came out criticising the French President’s decision to defend the publication of the controversial cartoons of the Prophet, saying that there was “no justification insult and disrespect a heavenly figure respected by 1.8 billion Muslims in the world.” In addition, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, who is a close ally of Erdogan, condemned Macron’s alleged “anti-Islam” plan in France as well, which he believes is a reflection of the French premier’s support for Nazi ideologies and White Supremacy.
France Recalls Ambassador to Turkey After Erdogan Questions Macron’s Policy on Islam
This comes as a fresh blow to the already deteriorating relations between the two NATO allies, who are facing off on several issues such as the conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
October 26, 2020
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS