France is the fountainhead of secularism or “laicite” as the French call it. Islam is the second-most widely professed religion in France just behind Christianity.

France has one of the largest number of Muslims in the Western world and it has an uneasy relationship with Islam.

French Opposition leader Marine le Pen has compared Muslims praying in streets to Nazi occupation. Anne-Christine Lang, member of Emmanuel Macron’s party walked out of a Parliamentary hearing in September because a student union leader decided to wear a veil for the hearing.

In France, the old tradition of secularism is clashing with the new reality of the country. Secularism which is the defining principle of the French Republic is now under a severe challenge from Islam by law the church and the state have been separate in France for more than 100 years now which means laws of a religion cannot be above the constitution that principle has been the driving force for several new rules that many Muslims have described as Islamophobic.

In 2010, France banned the burqa. A year later, street prayers on Fridays were banned. Three years back, Muslim organisations sued the state as they wanted meals without pork in schools. Now, the French president wants Islam to be fully compatible with French laws.

According to Macron, most Muslims want this too with these words President Macron launched his mission to rein in political Islam in February for those living in France it was no surprise since France has been a target of multiple terrorist attacks in recent years.

In 2015, there was mass shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo known for its provocative takes against Islam. In the same year, terrorists killed 130 people in another mass shooting. In 2016, a terrorist in Nice rammed his truck into the crowds on Bastille Day killing over 30 people in the attack.

Public sentiment after the attack turned against radical Islam as Muslim dominated areas have been on the radar of lawmakers. Some experts are calling specific areas “the lost territories of the republic” allegedly government control is weak in these regions and crime and Islamism thrive in some quarters. These are obvious red flags for the law enforcement agencies but Muslims fear their communities are under attack.

A spokesperson of the Muslim council said Macron is promoting a divisive culture war. Yasser Louati — a french Muslim activist tweeted: the repression of Muslims has been a threat, now it is a promise.

Macron says the anti-separatism law is an attempt to erase divisions within the society but if the pushback from the Muslim communities continues the proposed law will only reinforce it.

When Charlie Hebdo republished its cartoons on Prophet Mohammad, Macron said the French have the right to blaspheme. In July this year, Turkey’s Erdogan converted Hagia Sophia into a Mosque. Turkey defended the move by citing sovereignty. Last month, Sri Lanka discussed a ban on cow slaughter. The move was seen in favour of the majority Buddhists.

These are all secular countries that’s what they call themselves and yet, they have laws that tend to favour one religion and upset another. It is true even in the most secular of states and France is no exception.

The French constitution says: “France shall be a secular republic, it shall ensure the equality of all citizens before law without distinction of origin, race or religion.”

France believes in the right to have an opinion on religion. It believes in the right to blaspheme and also believes in separating the state from religion but its application looks almost impossible.

There are two big challenges. First, foreign interference, second, secularism vs Islamic terrorism. France has the highest number of Muslims in Europe. There are 6 million Muslims and they make up at least 8 per cent of the French population.

French Muslims are balkanised but their Mosques, organisations and schools often receive funding from Muslim countries. France saw Muslims as temporary migrants, so it did not really mind interference from Muslim countries but things began to change in the late 1900s. France realised the growing power of Islamic movements. There were some triggers. In 1979, there was a revolution in Iran. 

In 1982, Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat was assassinated. In 1989, the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan by the 1990s, France began exerting control over its Muslim population but it wasn’t easy there were hurdles like the Muslim world league. 

The Saudi-based league promotes Saudi-style Islamic beliefs. It funded a number of mosques in the 1980s and 90s. The same world league also funds the Tablighi Jamaat and the Salafists – all of them used to operate freely in France’s Muslim neighbourhoods. Another challenge was Alegria. It was reluctant to give up its role as the caretaker of the great Mosque of Paris.

In 2000, France tried to contain the influence of the Muslim brotherhood. Early in Macron’s career, he declared that he will “set down markers for the entire way in which Islam is organised in France”.

In 2018, Macron began consulting experts on how to create a framework for financing places of worship and collecting donation. He also wanted to vet and train Imams working in France. The idea was to reform religious organisations and end foreign funds pouring into the Muslim community.

The threat of Islamic terrorism is real in France since 2013, at least 1,700 French nationals have joined the Islamic State. France has seen several attacks orchestrated by the country’s Muslim citizens be it the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015 and or the recent attack on two people with a meat cleaver.

Macron had entered office in 2015, it was on the heels of the November 2015 terror attacks in which 90 people were killed. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility. Macron’s task was cut out countering Islamic terrorism in France like former president Francois Hollande, Macron decided to work towards creating a “French Islam” – a brand that was unique to France.

Saudi Arabia has done it – a Saudi version of Islam. Turkey has done it and now China is trying to do it “sinicising” Islam in the concentration camps of Xinjiang but unlike China, France is a civilised society with a government that is held accountable.

So it is introducing new laws to tailor Islam. Macron’s new bill is aimed at creating a French Islam.

This is not France trying to separate the state from religion, this is France codifying Islam to create a brand particular to the country.