Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of “attacking Islam”. Khan’s accusation followed the French leader’s remarks against “Islamists”, following the beheading of a teacher in France who showed caricatures of Prophet Mohammed in his class.

Macron said the teacher “was killed because Islamists want our future,” AFP reported.

Also read: Decapitated French teacher was pointed out to killer ‘for 300-350 euros’

In a series of tweets on Sunday, the Pakistani leader said, “Hallmark of a leader is he unites human beings, as Mandela did, rather than dividing them.”

“Pres Macron could have put healing touch & denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation & marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalisation,” Khan tweeted.

Accusing Macron of “attacking Islam,” Khan said it’s “unfortunate” that the French leader chose to “encourage Islamophobia.”

Khan further accused Macron of “provoking Muslims” by “encouraging the display of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam & our Prophet.”

“By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, President Macron has attacked & hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe & across the world.”

In another tweet, Khan shared his last year’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on “why it causes Muslims pain when our Prophet PBUH is ridiculed.”

Macron had sparked a controversy earlier this month when he said “Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world”.

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had on Saturday said his French counterpart needed “mental checks”.

“What is the problem of this person called Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level,” Erdogan said, AFP reported.