France has called on Middle Eastern countries to end their boycott of French products.
In recent days, French President Emmanuel McChrystal has defended the publication of sketches of the Prophet of Islam, saying that Islam had become a "crisis religion" around the world and that his government had separated religion and state in December 1905.
In this context, President McKeown's recent statements have intensified the campaign to boycott French products in many Muslim countries, especially in the Middle East.
The French Foreign Ministry says the "baseless" announcements to boycott French products are being made by "an extremist minority."
In recent days, a number of videos have been posted on social media sites showing businessmen from other countries, including Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar, removing French products from their stores and vowing not to resell them. The trend of boycotting French products has been on the rise in Pakistan for the past 48 hours.
There have also been protests in Libya, Syria and the Gaza Strip following the French president's remarks.
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The backlash came in the wake of President McKeown's remarks on Islam after he brutally assassinated a French teacher for showing controversial sketches of the Prophet of Islam to students in the class.
President McKeown had said that a teacher named Samuel Petty was killed "because Islamists want to occupy our future" but France "will not give up its cartoons."
In France, state secularism is central to the country's national identity, while the state says restricting freedom of expression, taking into account the sentiments of a single community, can weaken national unity.
"We will never give up," President McKeown said in a tweet on Sunday, taking two steps forward in defense of French values.
President McKeown has been sharply criticized by political leaders in Turkey and Pakistan for not respecting "religious freedom" and for leaving millions of Muslims in France backward.
Earlier, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan advised McKeown to receive "mental treatment".
Following Erdogan's statement, France recalled its ambassador to Turkey on Saturday for consultations.
Remember that a teacher in Paris showed his students sketches about the Prophet of Islam after which he was killed.
How widespread is the boycott of French products?
As of Sunday, French products had been removed from some supermarkets in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait. Hair and beauty products made in France, for example, were not available yesterday.
A major trade union in Kuwait has announced a boycott of French products.
The non-governmental union of consumer cooperative societies says they have issued the orders following "constant insults" to the Prophet of Islam.
"The boycott orders are baseless and should be stopped as soon as possible, as well as all the attacks on our country that are being carried out by an extremist minority," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ۔ '
Such announcements and orders are also being spread through the internet.
In Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Arab world, the hashtag related to the boycott of the French supermarket China Carrefour continued to trend second. Meanwhile, anti-French demonstrations took place in Libya, Gaza and northern Syria. Turkish-backed militias are influential in all of these countries.
How did France get caught up in this controversy?
Some in the Muslim world has been outraged by President McKeown's defense of French secularism and criticism of extremist Muslims following the assassination of a teacher.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech on the issue, "What is wrong with this man named Mekhwan with Islam and Muslims?"
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the French leader of "unintentionally attacking Islam".
"President McKeown has hurt and attacked the feelings of Muslims in Europe and around the world," he wrote.
Prior to the teacher's assassination earlier this month, McKeown had announced that he would introduce tougher laws to combat "Islamic separatism."
He said that about 6 million people were thinking of creating an anti-society but they would not be allowed to do so.