Feb
France’s National Assembly approved a controversial bill Tuesday that has been criticized for targeting Muslims. The draft law was approved with 347 lawmakers voting in favor, 151 against and 65 abstaining. Known as the “separatism” bill, it was supported by President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling La Republique En Marche (LREM) party, the Democratic Movement (MoDem), the […]
Feb
France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin crossed swords with far-right leader Marine Le Pen Thursday night in a televised debate, with the two clashing over their competing visions on how to fight radical Islam and terrorism. The duel was highly anticipated, four years after Le Pen’s disastrous performance in a debate against then-candidate Emmanuel Macron dealt […]
Feb
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen Friday proposed a ban on Muslim headscarves in all public places, in a bid to build on a record recent poll that put her almost neck-and-neck with President Emmanuel Macron. The hijab policy, which would be contested in court and would almost certainly be ruled unconstitutional, saw the 53-year-old […]
Jan
Amid controversy over the government’s stance towards Muslims, Islamophobic attacks in France shot up by over half in 2020, the head of a monitoring group said Friday. There were 235 attacks on Muslims in France in 2020, up from 154 the previous year, a 53% jump, Abdallah Zekri, head of the National Observatory of Islamophobia, […]
Dec
The French authorities have launched inspections of dozens of mosques and prayer halls suspected of links to Islamist extremism. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the crackdown, saying some could be closed if found to be encouraging “separatism”. It comes a week before the unveiling of a new law to combat such extremism. It is a […]
Nov
The State Council confirmed on Wednesday November 25 the dissolution of the NGO BarakaCity and the temporary closure of the Pantin mosque. The Council of State confirmed on Wednesday the dissolution of the NGO BarakaCity and the temporary closure of the Pantin mosque, considering like the government that they had disseminated messages inciting hatred or […]
Nov
Macron is attempting to tackle what he calls “Islamist separatism” Each child in France will be given an ID number to ensure they are attending school and not in “the clutches of Islamists” under a proposed French law on preventing radicalisation in the wake of a string of attacks. In September, President Emmanuel Macron had […]
Nov
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Muslim leaders to accept a “charter of republican values” as part of a broad clampdown on radical Islam. On Wednesday he gave the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) a 15-day ultimatum to accept the charter. The CFCM has agreed to create a National Council of Imams, which […]
Nov
This week four elementary school children were “terrorized” and grilled during more than 11 hours of detention by French police over false allegations of “justifying terrorism,” according to the children’s parents. The police “clearly wanted to terrorize us,” said Servet Yildirim, the father of one of the children. Under a 2014 criminal provision, French prosecutors […]
Nov
Children as young as eight are being investigated in France after several youths were reported to have interrupted memorials to beheaded teacher Samuel Paty. Prosecutors in Strasbourg said they are investigating two 12-year-old school students on suspicion of supporting terrorism after they made comments during a nationwide minute of silence Monday for the teacher. The […]
