Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims rally against France

(27 Oct 2020) About 10,000 protesters in Bangladesh followed the call of an Islamist group to march through the nation's capital on Tuesday to denounce the display of caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad in France.
The protesters from Islami Andolon Bangladesh, a group that advocates for the introduction of Islamic law in the Muslim-majority country, carried banners and placards reading “All Muslims of the world, unite” and “Boycott France."
They also carried a large cut-out of a photo of French President Emmanuel Macron and hung shoes around its neck.
Muslim-majority countries have been outraged by Macron’s remarks last week in which he refused to condemn the publication or showing of caricatures of Muhammad.
An 18-year-old of Chechen origin is accused of the Oct. 16 beheading near Paris of a French teacher who had shown caricatures of Muhammad.
France considers religious satire to be among the kinds of speech that fall under the freedom of expression, while many Muslims consider any perceived attack on their prophet as a grave offense.
The protesters gathered in the morning in front of Bangladesh's main Baitul Mokarram Mosque in Dhaka, the capital, and later started marching toward the French Embassy, which is located a few kilometers away from the mosque.
But police intercepted the procession on its way and it ended peacefully.
Rezaul Karim, the head of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, urged France to refrain from displaying any caricatures of Muhammad.
“Muslims will never stay idle in the face of such insults ... I call upon all the Muslims of the world to boycott all products of France," Karim said.

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