A plan against Islam that would be a profound mistake, Macron said  

PARIS (Special to The Reference)

• “We cannot have Turkey’s laws on France’s ground”
• Macron to tighten controls on foreign financing of mosques

The French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of what he described as the fight against “separatism” in a speech given in Mulhouse, eastern France.

Macron announced that France would crack down on Islamist separatism and would end a system in which foreign countries send imams to preach in French mosques.

This decision seeks to restore order in sometimes violent and impoverished suburbs and to elicit support from rightwing voters ahead of local elections in March.

Macron said it was “unacceptable” for anyone to disobey the laws of the French republic in the name of a religion or a foreign power.

The aim, Macron said, is to “reduce foreign influence” and “ensure that the laws of the Republic are respected by everyone”.

“The republic must keep its promises, we must fight against discrimination, we must put meritocracy everywhere,” he said.

But on the other side we must fight against separatism, because when the republic does not keep its promises, others try to replace it.”

Macron said he plans to end a programme created in 1977 that allowed nine countries to send imams and teachers to France to provide foreign language and culture classes without any supervision from French authorities.

Morocco, Algeria and Turkey send 300 imams to France every year, Macron said, adding that the ones arriving in 2020 would be the last.

Macron said that France has agreed on stopping the system with all the countries involved but Turkey. “I will not let any country feed separatism”, the French president said.

Macron announced measures to tighten controls on foreign financing of mosques and withdraw from this year permission for foreign governments to control language courses for 80,000 pupils learning Arabic, Turkish and other languages from their countries of origin — a system he called “an important vector of separatism” given that many of the teachers did not speak French or care about French culture.

The imams, he said, were often linked to Salafism or the Muslim Brothers and “preach against the republic”. Macron added: “We will train imams in France so they learn the language and the laws of the republic.”

The government has asked the French Muslim Council (CFCM), the body representing Islam in France, to find solutions to train imams on French soil instead and ensure they can speak French and do not spread Islamist views.

France had agreements with a number of countries, including Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, said Macron. But the only country with which France did not reach a bilateral agreement was Turkey.

“Turkey today can make the choice to follow that path with us or not, but I won’t let any foreign country feed a cultural, religious or identity-related separatism on our Republic’s ground,” he said.

“We cannot have Turkey’s laws on France’s ground. No way,” Macron added.

Turkey runs a vast network of mosques inside the country and abroad under the powerful Diyanet, or Directorate of Religious Affairs. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Diyanet budget has dramatically increased amid criticism that the body was being used by Ankara as a foreign policy tool and an attempt to extend Turkey’s soft power.

We are here for a reason that we share with Muslims – that is the struggle against communitarianism,” he said.

Macron insisted the new measures were not anti-Islam, but were designed to aid the integration and provide opportunities for France’s Muslims.

“What we must put in place is not, as I have sometimes heard from some people, a plan against Islam, That would be a profound mistake,” said Macron. “What we must fight is the separatism, because when the Republic does not keep its promises, others will try to replace it.”