Despite entering the new year in 2021, Muslims in France are still haunted by the tragedies of 2020. On 16 October 2020 an 18-year-old was held accountable for the brutal killing of Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old father and history teacher. This escalated into a wave of tension in France, and it did not take long for another attack to follow. On 29 October 2020, three people died in a gruesome knife attack, or, as President Emmanuel Macron directly identified it, in an “Islamist terrorist attack” at a church in Nice. These devastating events have not only contributed to an increased threat level in France but have resulted in an increasingly hostile relationship between the French government and Muslims in France.
LEADING UP TO THE BILL
President Emmanuel Macron has directed his focus towards tackling Islamism by strengthening secularisation. In a recent speech, Macron obsessively deemed Islam to be a problem. He stated that “Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world today, we are not just seeing this in our country”. This announcement by Macron had severe consequences, impacting not only the Muslim population in France, but the Muslim world as a whole. This resulted in a fallout between France and several Muslim countries - including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh. A wave of protests hit the Middle East and Southeast Asia, who were angered by Macron’s perception of Islam and disrespect towards the Prophet Mohammed after the murder of Samuel Paty. On the front page of an Iranian newspaper, Macron was the “Demon of Paris” and in Bangladesh, he was the leader who “worships Satan”.
Yet again, this reinforces the westernised profiling of terrorists and Islam into the European political narrative. This view was strengthened when the National Assembly legislators signed off on a draft law on 16 February 2021 which will inevitably discriminate against France’s Muslim population. The anti-radicalism bill passed 347-151 with 65 abstentions, and will go to the Senate next month for the final approval. This is all in an attempt to fight radicalism and social problems within France as Macron is determined to unify the principles of secularism.
THE BILL
Critics say the bill is deliberately stigmatising Muslims, but there are counter arguments that the bill is too vague to do so. Although the bill is said to not specifically target any particular religion, it aims to safeguard France from radical Islamist views and violence. The legislation contains 51 articles to stop the spread of radicalisation in the community.
Muslims in France are responding to the bill as an intrusion into their faith as through its various suggested measures. These include mechanisms to ensure mosques are not under foreign interests to control the growth of homegrown Salafism ideologies. Similarly, another measure proposed is to guarantee that children attend regular schooling from the age of three. There are also restrictions on home-schooling, as a method for targeting homegrown radicalism. It is reported that the French government views home-schooling as a growing concern because it is a source of separatism which undermines French values.
THE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIMS IN FRANCE
In a report with Al-Jazeera regarding cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Macron stated that he will always defend France to have “the freedom to speak, to write, to think, to draw”. He also mentioned that he “understands the sentiments being expressed” by the Muslim world. However, his statement is problematic in its entirety as he fails to acknowledge how he is fuelling Islamophobia by justifying the cartoons of the Prophet as free speech. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov stated that Macron is “contributing to radicalisation” by condoning the defamation of Islam through these cartoons.
Though Macron pledged to protect these rights, after taking a deeper look it is questionable whether these rights are universal. He has disguised his policy, which is geared toward controlling the Muslim population in France, by promoting alternative agendas such as national security and secularisation. The French government has mishandled and neglected their state responsibility and should be held accountable for strengthening Islamophobia in France. It should be noted that the 51 articles being praised by the government are not only going to consolidate the divide in society, but also fuel the systematic marginalisation of Muslims which ultimately results in why Islamist ideologies are spreading in France.
In the last 20 years, France has been responsible for passing laws that restrict religious dress and symbols. They have marginalised Muslims and restricted them from exercising their rights to freedom of belief and expression. These rights are at stake, which strips the Muslim community of their dignity. When will France accept their protective rights are subjective and are politically motivated by their fear of Islam and Muslim citizens in France?
Sadia is a postgraduate student at UCL studying Human Rights with a Bachelors degree in Politics. She is currently working with a student-led organisation as a research lead, focusing on advocating for different causes around the world. Her interests revolve around human rights violations, mass atrocities, the war on terror and conflict resolution.