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French parliament adopts controversial law to battle Islamist separatism

The French National Assembly approved the controversial “anti-separatism” bill despite strong criticisms from parliamentarians from the Left and the Right. The government argued the legislation was needed to bolster France’s secular system, but critics say it breaches religious freedom. Ahmet Kuru, Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University, explains that "the content of the law is intended and designed to empower the government at the expense of certain religious liberties." Mr. Kuru also points out that while "the language of the bill is very neutral - it doesn't refer to Islam or political Islam, the political context and its process is very much focusing on Islam." For Mr. Kuru, the singling out of Muslims was made abundantly clear by French president Macron during his October 2020 speech on Islam, as Macron tries to appeal to "right-wing voters who could vote for Marine Le Pen's right-wing party." In essence, Mr. Kuru would simply like to see the French government strike the right balance with Muslims who are "mostly coming from former French colonies, and their descendants" : "Yes, there should be precautions against terrorism by Muslims, but there should be precautions against discrimination, racism, and colonization and its legacy."