Hostility to Islam could impact economic relations, Qatar chamber says

Qatar Chamber said the “systematic hostility to Islam” will affect commerce and economic relations.

The Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry has condemned ongoing Islamophobia and targeting of the Muslim community by insulting the Prophet Muhammad, warning such acts could affect commerce and economic relations.

The chamber issued a statement on Wednesday saying actions that insult Islam or its sanctities, as seen most recently in France, provokes the feelings of more than two billion Muslims worldwide.

The statement added “systematic hostility to Islam” will have major repercussions in terms of commercial and economic relations, which is currently being seen by calls to boycott French products in Qatar and around the world.

The statement comes amid rising tension between France and the Muslim world after the killing of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, leading to global uproar.

French authorities responded with a large-scale crackdown on Islamic entities in the country, raiding more than 50 mosques and associations.

The French magazine at the centre of the cartoon controversy, Charlie Hebdo republished the offensive caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and France’s President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his country would “not give up cartoons.”

He has also refused to condemn the magazine’s decision, vowing measures against what he called “Islamic separatism.”

Macron also triggered backlash earlier for describing Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide.

As a response, Muslims around the world launched a virtual campaign to condemn France’s Islamophobia, calling for a boycott of French products. Protesters have also taken to the streets in capitals around the world to denounce the ongoing provocation.

Just days later, France called on leaders in the Arab and Muslim world to stop “baseless” calls for boycott in their countries.

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