The Pakistani government has agreed it will completely boycott French goods and, according to Al Jazeera, ministers will soon ask parliament to expel the French ambassador.

These exceptional moves follow demonstrations near the embassy in Islamabad by a religious group called Tehreek-e-Labbaik, whose supporters have burned the French flag and trampled upon images of President Emmanuel Macron.

Even if the ambassador is not expelled, the French may choose to quit Islamabad because of the security risks. This would, in effect, sever diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Global protests

Anti-French protests have also been taking place in other Muslim-majority nations, including Bangladesh, Qatar, Kuwait, and Somalia.

In Iran, President Macron has been pictured as the devil on the front page of national newspapers and the government summoned the French ambassador to protest at what it regards as President Macron’s “anti-Islam stance.”

Macron’s harshest critic is the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He is the key provocateur, encouraging other Muslim nations to boycott French products.