France or the invention of Islamic separatism

At a time when France is facing major economic challenges and the Bank of France is announcing the destruction of a million jobs by 2021, President Macron needs to rally his troops more than ever. If there is one issue that unites us all, it is security. While the country is threatened by the virus and the contagion curve is steepening, we talk of separatism.  French President Emmanuel Macron's speech on this subject was eagerly awaited. The head of state dared to utter the words: Islamic separatism. "What we have to face is Islamic separatism. This is the crux of the matter", he announced early on.   

This speech came a few days after the new attack on the satirical newspaper Charly Hebdo, which, it should be remembered, had published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in 2015 that outraged Muslims all over the world and triggered one of the worst terrorist attacks in France, which left 12 people dead in the newspaper's offices.  

On the eve of the trial of the terrorists, the satirical weekly reissued the cartoons which, as can be imagined, sparked off the anger of the Muslims. A Pakistani immigrant tried to "avenge the prophet", but Charly had moved away...  

The attempted attack caused an outcry and reopened the debate on freedom of the press and individual freedoms and, inevitably, Islam and immigration. Subjects that are very dear to the French right, but not only.  

Islam, Islamism, one no longer makes any difference either in the political discourse in the media in France.  

Last September the presence of Maryam Pougetoux, a young French woman in a veil and vice-president of the student union Unef, invited by a committee of the National Assembly, was widely criticised to the extent that the deputies had to leave the premises in protest.  However, Islam is France's second religion and the French are still struggling to integrate it.  

Among Macron's flagship measures is the teaching of Arabic in schools. Or extracurricular activities "that we master," he said. The opportunity, according to the president, to mow the lawn for someone under the feet of those who want to attract children to teach them Arabic in associations and offer them the worst. "Arabic, but also many other languages are the wealth of our children, their families," he said. "We must know, in our Republic, how to recognise them, exalt them, make them live, in the republican framework in an extraordinarily uncomplicated way".  

If these measures have pleased some, others are outraged and consider that integration only takes place through the teaching of French and not Arabic.  

The expression "radical Islamism" was the other fault Macron was accused of, considering that Islamism is intrinsically radical and that there is no moderate Islamism.  

It is difficult to save the wolf and the lamb at the same time, but the French president has more than one trick up his sleeve.  Macron insists on the fact of security and promises to "ensure a Republican presence at the bottom of every tower, at the bottom of every building, (...) with magistrates, clerks, judges, sometimes volunteers who will come to help with local tasks", and, of course, the police and gendarmes will be called upon to contribute to this programme.  

"Not much better" is often the response to the President's announcement of a series of measures, although everyone welcomed his decision to monitor the training of imams and places of worship more closely.  

But Macron wants to move forward especially "where we have retreated," to "restore the collective meaning by allowing our justice system to find the means to respond quickly and appropriately, so that everything regains meaning, both for the victim and the troublemaker, and for our law enforcement," he said.  

In addition to the security aspect, the French president has opted for greater openness about the Islam of the Enlightenment and wants to encourage research in this area. "We will support with 10 million euros the initiatives that the Foundation for Islam in France will take in the fields of culture, history and science", said the head of state, who proposes developing high-level Islamic studies at university. "I have decided that we will set up a scientific institute of Islamology. We will create additional posts in higher education to continue research on Muslim civilisation, but also on the Mediterranean basin and Africa".  

Despite this, for Al-Azhar, a high religious authority and point of reference for Sunni Islam, Macron stigmatised Muslims and his remarks were considered racist. "Such racist statements are likely to inflame the feelings of two billion Muslims worldwide. He also called for an end to attacks on religions.  

However, if Macron attacks Islamism - as is the case in many Arab countries that are confronted with its excesses - he invites reflection and research on Islam, which can only enlighten French society in all its components, whether Muslim, atheist or attached to Christian values.  

There is no clash of civilisations, said the Algerian intellectual Mohammed Arkoun, but rather a clash of ignorance, and this is what France needs to address.