Turkey has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of “Islamophobia” after he called for France to rid itself of “Islamic separatism”.

Eighteen months before the French presidential elections, in which he is expected to face a challenge from the right, Macron described Islam as a  religion in crisis.

The spokesman for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, said the French president’s claim was a “provocative and dangerous expression” inciting anti-Islamism and Islamophobia.

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Kalin commented on Macron’s remarks through his Twitter account:

“French President Macron’s claim of a ‘crisis in Islam’ is a provocative and dangerous expression that incites anti-Islamism and Islamophobia. France is trying to make Islam and Muslims its scapegoats for its own mistakes and adventures. It is madness.”

Meanwhile, the representative of Turkey’s ruling AKP party Omer Celik dubbed Macron’s allusion to the creation of French Islam “a dictatorial approach and ignorance”. “Targeting Islam is contrary to the most fundamental human and democratic values. Macron’s approach does not support democracy and human rights, but hate crimes.”

Celik pointed out that the perspective of French President Macron can only provide ideological ammunition to terrorist organisations such as the ISIS.