PARIS – The French National Assembly on Tuesday approved a bill that aims to strengthen government surveillance of mosques and religious schools and to tackle other practices – from online hate speech to forced marriages – which President Emmanuel Macron says are rooted in Islamist separatism.
The proposed legislation was passed by the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, with a vote of 347-151, which received support from lawmakers in the ranks of Mr Macron and other centrist parties. It is now going to the Senate.
Mr Macron and his supporters in Parliament drafted the bill as a response to the spread of “Islamist separatism”, which the President describes as an ideology aimed at building a parallel society in France where religious rules prevail over civil laws. to go. That ideology, Macron’s government says, undermines the values of the French Republic – freedom, equality and fraternity – as well as laïcité, France’s strict separation of religion and state.
The proposed legislation requires religious associations and mosques to declare foreign funding in excess of € 10,000 ($ 12,000) and sign a pledge to respect the republican values of France to receive government subsidies. The bill would also make it easier for the government to shut down mosques, associations, and schools that criticize Republican values.
The proposed legislation would make it a criminal offense for anyone in the name of ideology or religious extremism to put pressure on officials and public service providers to deviate from the secular values of France. Under its provisions, a man who refuses to have a male doctor examine his wife can face a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to € 75,000.