France: the law on "separatism" is "not against religions", assures Jean Castex
Prime Minister Jean Castex leaving the Council of Ministers on December 9, 2020, in Paris.
AFP - CHARLES PLATIAU
Text by: RFI Follow
6 min
The French government presented, this Wednesday, December 9, the controversial bill "reinforcing the respect for the principles of the Republic" after its adoption in the Council of Ministers.
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On leaving the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, Jean Castex assumed that
it was a law
against
"the work of undermining radical Islamism
", but he assured that she did not stigmatize anyone: "
This bill is not a text against religions, nor against the Muslim religion in particular.
Conversely, it is a law of freedom, it is a law of protection, of emancipation in the face of religious fundamentalism and, more generally, in the face of any ideology or drift that pursues the same goals.
"
Creation of an offense against hatred online, control of associations and places of worship, restrictions on home education, fight against polygamy ...
This law includes a battery of measures
with politically sensitive content.
The left thus accuses the power of attacking Muslims.
In a press briefing at the Assembly, the leader of rebellious France Jean-Luc Mélenchon criticized the government for "
surfing a kind of wave hostile to Muslims
" and "
stigmatizing
" them with this project.
On the contrary, for the right-wing opposition, the government does not go far enough in the fight against radical Islamism.
Thus the vice-president of the Republicans (LR) Gilles Platret considers, at the
microphone of RFI
, that "
not to name the adversary is a defeat
" for the executive.
This new law, announced in early October by Emmanuel Macron, has also been criticized by some leaders of Muslim countries, primarily Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but also in the United States.
Tuesday evening, the American envoy for religious freedom Sam Brownback said he was worried about his perhaps "
too repressive
" character.
Prime Minister Jean Castex defends a "freedom text" which is not "against the Muslim religion in particular"
Valerie Gas
Promises of measures for equal opportunities
The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin also sought to reassure, citing Aristide Briand, who defended the law on the separation of Church and State in 1905: “
It is a text which aims to pacify spirits, and to restore strength to the Republic.
"
And to those who criticize the government for
a text that is only repressive
and security, the Prime Minister has promised measures for equal opportunities and social cohesion "
in the coming weeks
", while remaining vague on their content.
For Elhadj Amor Boubakeur, imam of the great mosque of Poitiers, "
the content of the law is legitimate
", but he says "to
regret that it comes in a climate of confusion between Islam, Islamism, radicalism, terrorism ... all this doing that the situation is not very calm for dialogue and so that we can be appeased in France with the Muslim faith
”.
For Elhadj Amor Boubakeur, imam of the great mosque of Poitiers, the context of this law is "regrettable"
Aram Mbengue
►
To read also: France: what is "separatism" the name?
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France
Social issues
Religion
Islam
Gerald Darmanin
Jean Castex
Emmanuel Macron
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