Updated 10:10 IST, December 10th 2020
Macron's French govt proposes 'Republican Principles' bill to tackle 'Islamist radicalism'
Almost two months after the horrific attacks in France and debate over extremism, the French govt unveiled a draft law aimed at tackling "Islamist radicalism"
Almost two months after the horrific attacks in France and debate over extremism, the French government unveiled a draft law on Wednesday aimed at tackling "Islamist radicalism". President Emmanuel Macron says that the bill is a way to root out “separatists” undermining the nation. The proposed law is titled “Supporting Republican Principles,” will affect home schools, mosques, the 1905 law separating church and state, forced marriages. This move by Macron comes ahead of the 2022 presidential polls, as he eyes re-election even as his tenure faced massive 'Yellow vest' movement and was marred with violence.
What is the 'separatism' bill?
One of the Articles in the bill makes school obligatory from age 3, allowing the option of homeschooling in special cases only. The measure is aimed at ending so-called clandestine schools run by fundamentalists with their "own agenda." French Prime Minister Jean Castex stressed that it “is not a text against religions or against the Muslim religion in particular.” He explained, "a bill of freedom, a bill of protection, a bill of emancipation from Islamist fundamentalism or other ideologies pursuing the same goals."
Another Article in the bill encourages mosques to register as places of worship, so as to better identify them. Many of the nation’s more than 2,600 mosques, which often have Quranic schools attached, currently operate under rules for associations. While it doesn't forbid foreign funding for mosques, it stated that funding source and other details would have to be declared if amount exceeds 10,000 euros ($12,000). In addition, a judge can forbid anyone convicted of provoking terrorism, discrimination, hate or violence from frequenting mosques.
To prevent forced marriages, the draft law makes it a crime punishable by fines and up to one year in prison to doctors providing a young woman with a certificate that she's a virgin. When there is a doubt about free consent, the bill has a provision for the couple to meet separately for an interview with an official. If the doubt persists, the official must take the issue to a prosecutor, who could forbid the marriage. Moreover, the bill states that those practicing polygamy would be forbidden French residence cards.
The draft law also states that it is a criminal offence if anyone disseminates information about people's private or professional life with the intention of identifying, locating and exposing the person or their family to an immediate danger. The Frech Prime Minister also said that the draft bill overhauls France’s 1905 law separating church and state, in order to "modernize and clarify matters of faith". "Changes in morals, practices and threats make modifications necessary to the secularism law and an older 1901 law governing associations," he said.
Amid criticism that the draft bill targets Muslims, PM Castex explained, "Separatism is especially dangerous because it is the manifestation of a conscious, theorized, political-religious project with an ambition to make religious norms predominate over the law. France intends to defend itself."
Attacks in France and Macron's comment
In October, a Greek Orthodox priest was shot outside a church in Lyon, two days after a Tunisian-origin man armed with a knife attacked worshippers in a French church in the in Mediterranean city of Nice and killed three. Such attacks in France increased after the beheading of a teacher Samuel Paty who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class after the images were re-published by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which was also targeted in a 2015 terror attack.
French President Macron termed the attack as act of terror and dismissed claims that his country is singling out one religion. He had also defended the Charlie Hebdo magazine and spoken in favour of caricatures, drawing widespread criticism from Muslim majority nations, even before Paty's killing.
He had opined that the right to free speech included the "right to blasphemy", and pledged to fight against “Islamic separatism” in France. Macron maintained, “We will continue, we will defend the freedom that you taught so well and we will bring secularism... “we will not give up cartoons, drawings, even if others back down”.
Published 10:10 IST, December 10th 2020