A large number of Kabul residents on Friday staged a protest in the city to condemn French President Emanuel Macron over his treatment of Islam and his recent remarks on the religion. 

The issue raised after the beheading of a teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, previously published by a satirical magazine, in a class on freedom of expression. 

Last Friday, the cartoons were projected onto government buildings in France, according to Al Jazeera. Earlier this month, Macron described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and vowed to present a bill in December to strengthen a law that officially separated church and state in France, Al Jazeera reported.  

The protestors in Kabul said that releasing the caricatures and the provocative remarks by Macron were a clear insult to Islam and Muslims.  

“We are here today to protest against the remarks by French president,” said Zaidullah, a resident of Kabul.  

“Islam is the religion of ethics. We respect others and expect respect from them,” said one protestor Sayeda Susan Sadat. 

“We will not allow such remarks and acts about our prophet,” a protestor Abdul Basit said.  

Some Afghan political leaders meanwhile asked the government to severe ties with Paris and recall Afghan ambassador from the country. 

“We call on the government of Kabul to severe diplomatic ties with France, close the French embassy in Kabul and recall their ambassador,” Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said. 

“This is an act of insult against God, the Holy Quran, the values and the sentiments of over 1.5 billion Muslims,” said Hafizurrahman Naqi, a member of Hizb-e-Islami.