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Former Egyptian Footballer and beIN Sports commentator Mohamed Aboutrika called for a boycott of French products, on live TV, due to the alleged "insults" against the Prophet Muhammad. He said: "The Prophet Muhammad is where we draw the line." Aboutrika expressed his support for the campaign for "solidarity with the Prophet Muhammad" and against normalizing ties with Israel. He added: "We oppose extremism. Our Islam is moderate." The beIN Sports show aired on October 25 and the video was posted on many YouTube accounts on October 25, 2020. Aboutrika, who is now living in exile in Qatar, was added to the Egyptian terror list in 2017, due to ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. For more reactions to recent events surrounding the publishing of the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in France, see MEMRI TV clips no. 8386, 8375, 8374, 8372, 8371, and 8370.
Mohamed Aboutrika: "I really liked the popular response, which was part of the campaign for solidarity with the Prophet Muhammad, and the campaign against normalization [of relations with Israel]. These are the real popular responses.
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"I call upon people to boycott French products. The Prophet Muhammad is where we draw the line. Will this boycott be effective? Yes, it will be effective. Today, the French Foreign Ministry said: Do anything but a boycott. As long as they talk to you about money, talk to them about money as well. The world doesn’t care about the interests of the public, only about private interests. The Prophet Muhammad is where we draw the line.
"We do not say that terrorism is connected to a specific religion or ideology. We oppose extremism. Our Islam is moderate. There is no such thing as modern Islamic discourse and old Islamic discourse. No! Islam is one. It is one religious system. You should judge a person according to his behavior, not his religious system. This system is immutable and it came down from our Lord. Sometimes, people act in a mistaken way, and they should be judged according to their behavior, not their religious system.
"The Prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam is where we draw the line. Just as we respect other religions, you should respect us. As long as you talk to us in terms of money... Boycott the French products! Boycott whoever insults the Prophet Muhammad and Islam!"