French President Emmanuel Macron wants to “liberate Islam in France from foreign influences.” Imams must be educated in France, and children from the age of three must attend school.
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Macron will put an end to the foreign training of imams in a ‘serene way’ and strengthen control over funding. The intention is to arrive at ‘an Islam that can live in peace with the republic’. To this end, the government is working with the most important French Muslim organization on an ‘enlightened Islam’. Macron called in his announcement to “attack Islamist separatism, as well as his plans against society.”
At the same time, Macron also asked not to fall into ‘the trap of the amalgam that is being set by polemics and extremists who want to stigmatize all Muslims’.
Other measures Macron already announced included an extension of the ban on the wearing of religious symbols to private workers who provide services to the public, and the possibility for the state to intervene if local authorities make unacceptable concessions to Islamists. As examples, Macron gave “religious menus” or separate access to swimming pools.
Education
Home education is also being tackled. From the next school year, all children from the age of 3 are expected at school, with the exception of exceptional cases where home education is necessary for medical reasons. According to Macron, schools have regularly been discovered where prayers are given during class hours and where teachers wear niqs. “Schools should educate citizens, not believers,” he stressed.
“This is a necessity,” he added. “I have undoubtedly made one of the most radical decisions since the 1882 laws and the 1969 coeducation laws.” Today, more than 50,000 children are homeschooled, and Macron said that number is increasing every year.
In addition, any organization applying for grants will have to “sign a contract to support the values of the republic.”
The measures will be part of a bill to be proposed on December 9.
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