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Macron: Groups linked to radical Islam are calling on the French not to respect the laws (Getty)
The British daily “The Guardian” quoted French officials on Thursday as saying that France is studying the appointment of a special envoy for Islamic countries to clarify French President Emmanuel Macron’s views on secularism and freedom of expression, in a attempt to counter anti-French backlash in some of those countries, as cited. Sources described her as official, without specifying her identity.
The newspaper says growing anti-French sentiment would deepen the already entrenched conflict between Macron and Turkey over Libya and oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. Macron conducted a lengthy interview with Al-Jazeera to justify his approach. Macron also spoke by phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to assure him that he distinguishes between terrorism and extremism, on the one hand, and Islam and Islamic thought, on the other.
Many Arab leaders had condemned the assassination of French teacher Samuel Patty on October 16, the subsequent murders in Nice, and the recent killings on Monday night in Vienna, but the degree of explicit and implicit criticism of Macron’s position on freedom of expression surprised some officials. The French.
Macron confirmed, on Wednesday evening, in an article published by the “Financial Times” newspaper, that “France is at war against (Islamic separatism), and is not at all against Islam”, in response to a published article. by the British newspaper, on Monday, on its website, before She achieves it hours later.
In his lengthy response published by the newspaper and also on the Elysee Palace website, Macron expressed dissatisfaction with that article, in which he said that he was “accused of having distorted the reputation of French Muslims for electoral purposes and worse still, it retained an atmosphere of fear and skepticism towards them. “
Macron said in his reply: “I will not allow anyone to say that France and his country are sowing racism against Muslims,” considering that his statements were distorted.
Similar to the statements he made during his interview with the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera last week, the French president wanted to make it clear to the outside world that his fight against “Islamic separatism” is not a war against Islam at all. , at a time when his statements about the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad and published by the newspaper were fulfilled. Charlie Hebdo responded to an angry response from several countries and called for a boycott of French products.
After recalling the series of attacks his country had been subjected to since the attack on Charlie Hebdo in 2015, which left 300 dead, Macron considered that France was being attacked for its values, secularism and freedom of expression in it, highlighting that “will not give up”.
Macron elaborated the description of cases of Islamic “separatism”, considering them “fertile ground for terrorist calls”. In this context, he referred to “hundreds of extremist individuals who are feared that they could pick up a knife at any moment and go kill French people.”
The French president assured that “in certain neighborhoods, as well as on the Internet, groups linked to radical Islam are teaching the children of France hatred for the republic and asking them not to respect the laws.”
“Don’t you believe me? Reread the messages exchanged and the calls to hatred that were spread in the name of deceptive Islam on social media and ultimately led to the death of Professor Samuel Patti days ago. Visit neighborhoods where girls as young as three or four years wear the niqab “and received an education in an environment of” hatred of the values of France “.
Macron continued: “This is what France intends to fight today, and never (fight) against Islam”, emphasizing that his country wants to confront “the darkness, intolerance and violent extremism, not religion.”
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