Warnings from France

The tragic case of the Bedford school rightly remains a source of debate and concern. Unfortunately, this school is not the only school, and there are currently four other schools in Montreal in the sights of the Ministry of Education for what it looks like a Muslim entry. These are the primary schools of Alphonse-Pesant, Saint-Pascal-Baylon and Bienville, as well as the secondary school of La Voie.

Many questions are raised by these shocking examples. Among them: should we consider creating a professional order for teachers? For my part, I think that everything we needed to implement was already in place, and that above all the reason we did not do it quickly – and as appropriate – should concern us.

Another important and urgent question relates to the role of the school as a center of socialization and integration in society and culture. Will we be able to have this necessary discussion calmly or will we once again go ahead and avoid the topic with insults all the time?

In the meantime, I read a work by Jean-Paul Brighelli on how Islam entered schools in France. There are important caveats that should be of interest to us, as well as possible solutions.

The evils in the school

To give you a brief background, Brighelli was born in Marseille in 1952, where he studied, then taught – after many other places. Now retired, this man, who calls himself beyond words, but who long ago admitted that he was left-handed, and even the very left-handed (he was once a Moses), and he recently listened with his right hand, he is very difficult today to be sure. current thinkers in the school (teachers, etc.), which, according to him, causes a terrible drop in the level, but also with the positions taken by some left on many subjects, including the school.

Among these evils, there is what he considers to be the influence that Islam is using today on the school of the Republic.

This phenomenon is relatively recent. “Having spent my childhood and adolescence in Marseille, a city where many immigrants already lived, I don’t remember seeing a single Islamic statue on the streets . Or any halal section in supermarkets. The offense dates back to the late 1980s.

What he tells is scary. According to him, the Muslim Brotherhood, which was expelled from Egypt by Marshal Sissi, consciously aimed at Europe and went through a progressive entry: covering young girls, adolescent protests, communism, rejection of some of knowledge taught to school, accusations – a Heretic Muslim is immediately qualified as a “disbeliever” or kafir, a serious accusation -, guilt, the use of social networks, even verbal violence, physical and sometimes murder.

Certainly, the majority of Muslims living in France agree with all this and want to integrate. But fear reigns, and with all kinds of community pressure. Overall, “a real morality police has descended on France and especially on the weakest link, the School,” says Brighelli. According to him, a kind of educational jihad carried out in small steps is going on.

Solutions?

Brighelli regrets the weakness of special education which, according to him, has forgotten what school is and what is involved. “Teachers bear a passive responsibility in this failure. After all, it is their students who, at 43% of 18-30 year olds, favor wearing a religious symbol and who, at 75%, in the same age group, believe that religions must be respected so that they do not offend believers. : the great crime of blasphemy will soon return. »

He is also angry with a certain left that has forgotten its origins and values ​​and refuses to criticize what it would have condemned just yesterday. He writes: “We see [à un] a major ideological revolution […] which makes women defend the Islamic flag, a symbol of women’s inferiority and other nonsense supported by crazy academics […]. And the heirs called Jaurès abandon the banner of divinity. »

But he also puts forward solutions to the evils he denies. Among them, there is a reaffirmation of the importance of freedom of expression and a reminder of all that it means, both in school and in teacher training. Refusing any compromise on fundamental or religious demands. But also, and for this, the reaffirmation of the 1905 law on secularism and how it was changed to take this new situation into account.

In our country, this would include, among other things, the imposition of theology throughout the school system; no longer subsidizing religious schools; with the obligation imposed on all these schools to follow the Quebec school training program to the letter and to provide religious education outside of class hours. And of course many other things too. But I will come back to that.

In the meantime, enjoy reading this inspiring and interesting book.

To watch the video