France’s Macron vows to fight ‘Islamic Separatism’

BY OMNIYA ALI

France has never been known to shy away from Islamophobic acts and expressions. Most recently, Emmanuel Macron decided more rigid laws were needed in response to what he referred to as “Islamic separatism”. During a speech, Mr. Macron said a minority of France’s roughly 6 million Muslims were in danger of forming a ‘counter society’. In response to that, he suggested more strict oversight of schooling and control over foreign funding of mosques. However, it has been proven to be difficult for Muslims within and outside of France to see how this is not a form of repression. France claims through their strict principles of secularism that because the government is separated by law from religious institutions, people of different religions and beliefs are in return equal before the law. Yet, in recent years France has openly demonstrated that perhaps a specific minority group is not particularly as equal as others.

In order to get a grasp of France’s history with Islam a short trip through history needs to precede. To begin with, about 1.5 million Algerian Muslims were slaughtered at the hands of the ‘civilized’ French colonialists in 1961, including over 200 being forcefully drowned in the River Seine. Islam has been a widely discussed religion globally especially in the past two decades. Many speculations, assumptions and generalizations have been made, further driving the irrational fear and negative connotations associated with this religion and its followers. To claim that Muslims have suffered tremendously would be a grave understatement. Yet the world struggles to remember anything besides 9/11, as if all countries of power aren’t actively engaged in a war against Muslims worldwide. “Russia has its Chechnya, China its Uighurs. France has sustained multiple terrorist attacks this century on civilians. US President Donald Trump is hostile to Muslims worldwide and has just declared his displeasure against Iran. We could, though not very likely, yet end up with a world war in the second fifth of this century,” Meghnad Desai, Financial Express.

A driving factor in islamophobia is the language surrounding it. In his speech alone Macron was able to belittle and villainize Islam. Using terms such as “Islamic radicalism” and “radical Islamism”, as well as claiming he wanted to “liberate” the religion. Indubitably, Macron knew exactly what affects those words would have on his listeners. Such language is sure to instill fear within non-Muslims and create anger within Muslims. Nonetheless, Macron asserted that his efforts were only in the name of improving the ability for all citizens of France to live together, claiming that “secularism is the cement of a united France.” Yasser Louati, a French Muslim activist, tweeted: “The repression of Muslims has been a threat, now it is a promise. In a one-hour speech #Macron buried #laicite, emboldened the far right, anti-Muslim leftists and threatened the lives of Muslim students by calling for drastic limits on home schooling despite a global pandemic.”

As if being Muslim in a western society was not already difficult enough, the phrase ‘moderate Muslim’ has been popping up in France recently. Although upon first glance that phrase seems harmless, it is quite the opposite. It strictly implies that Islam is inherently extreme, and in order to be viewed in an acceptable manner one must be moderate, one must add ‘moderate’ to their identity to soften their beliefs. Moderate is seldom used with other religions, regardless of the context the phrase ‘moderate Muslim’ is and will continue to be in and of itself Islamophobic. Muslims have tirelessly worked on disfiguring and reshaping their identities and beliefs since the beginning of time in order to ease the discomfort of white supremacy and insure their livelihood. The time has come for that to stop. True tolerance is not applicable if the subject is unable to freely exist. Tolerance stems from respect and humanity we don’t have to be in agreement for it to be displayed.