Erdogan’s Call for French Boycott Might Divide Muslim World

Emmanuel Macron faced the prospect of a widening rift with Muslim countries after leaders from Pakistan to Algeria expressed unease over the French president’s crackdown on radical Islam.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan led the way on Monday with a call on Turks to boycott French goods over what he called France’s hostile stance toward Islam, as he seized yet another opportunity to promote himself as a leader of the Muslim world.

While others joined in the condemnation, the immediate economic impact fell on Turkey rather than France, with the lira and stocks dropping as investors gauged Erdogan’s comments as a sign of renewed tensions between Ankara and the west more broadly.

Erdogan has been feuding with Macron over the French leader’s characterization of Islam as a religion “in crisis” and a crackdown on Islamists after the beheading of a French teacher, accusing him of displaying intolerance and saying he needs “mental checks.” For his part, Macron, who faces presidential elections in 18 months, is channeling public outrage over the murder as he presents a hard line on extremism to the outside world.

“Both sides are using it for domestic reasons,” said Fawaz Gerges, Middle Eastern politics professor at the London School of Economics. “President Macron is using this tragedy to impress his critics and show that he is as muscular as they are,” while President Erdogan “is doing the same thing: Erdogan has mastered the art of using the sacred as a mobilization tool not just in Turkey but in the wider Islamic world.”

Erdogan’s call feeds into a campaign to boycott French goods that began rippling across the Arab world on social media over the weekend. Some supermarkets began pulling French cheese, yogurt and beauty supplies off their shelves. There were also pleas to stay away from Carrefour SA, the French supermarket chain.

France said the “baseless” calls were being pushed by “a radical minority,” and that a wave of cyber attacks was affecting French websites. France has called Erdogan’s personal sleights on Macron unacceptable, and withdrew its ambassador to Turkey.

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