(Politico) It’s a French draft law that attracted huge controversy before it was even published — and doesn’t even mention the issue that President Emmanuel Macron says it’s meant to address: “Islamist separatism.”
The concern that Islamist extremists are creating communities and instilling ideas that separate them from the values of the French republic has re-emerged as a major issue in French politics in recent months.
Three deadly attacks by Islamist radicals took place in France over four weeks this fall, triggering a renewed tense public debate about the French strand of secularism, known as laïcité, the place of Islam and individual freedoms. Some critics, [particularly] outside France, labeled Macron’s policies “illiberal” — triggering a fierce response from the president and his allies.
