自由與民主看起來是有條件的
Most French people believe that Islam
is incompatible with the values of the country at large, the French prime
minister claimed on Wednesday.
“Secularism is in our DNA,” Manuel
Valls told French daily Liberation, saying that he believes in the “universal
values” of France.
“The Republic [of France] was
founded in opposition to the power of the Catholic church," he
said. “Today, secularism is facing the rise of
radical Islam, but also the place of Islam [in general] in our societies."
“I wish we were able to demonstrate
that Islam, the second religion in France, is compatible with the Republic,
democracy, our values and equality between men and women. A majority of our
citizens doubt it," he added.
During the lengthy interview Valls also called for Islamic headscarves to be banned at
universities in France.
Asked whether he would support a
ban on the headscarf – not just the face covering – worn by some Muslim women
at university, Valls replied that “it should be done”.
Noting constitutional difficulties
entailed in implementing such a law, though, he called for authorities to be
“uncompromising on the rules of secularism in higher education”.
Women’s religious attire has long
been a controversial issue in France. In 2004, France became one of the first
European states to ban headscarves and other religious clothing from state
schools.
Nicholas Sarkozy, Valls’
right-wing predecessor, in 2011 implemented a controversial complete ban on the
Islamic face veil in all public spaces. While the ban also
covers balaclavas and hoods, the ban has been criticised for targeting
Muslims.
A Pew Forum study, published in
January 2011, estimated that there were 4.7 million Muslims in France
in 2010 out of a population of around 65 million, saying that this number could
rise to a forecast 6.9 million in 2030. Most of the Muslim population comes from former French colonies like
Morocco and Tunisia.
Socialist party
backlash
Valls’ suggestion on Wednesday that
the school veil ban should be extended to universities appeared to lead to
fractures within his own Socialist Party.
Thierry Mandon, higher education
minister, said there was “no need” for such a law.
French students “have every right
to wear a headscarf – it is not banned in French society,” Mandon said.
Education Minister Najat
Vallaud-Belkacem also signalled her opposition to the move, saying it could
risk amounting to a ban on foreign students from Muslim-majority countries.
A growing battle over Islamic
attire – and the place of Islam in France more generally – comes amid an uptick
in support for far-right groups in the wake of devastating militant attacks
targeting Paris and Brussels.
Valls on 5 April warned that unless
there is a popular effort to fight what he called a “minority of Salafists” in
France, “an authoritarian response will be imposed”.
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