There have been protests in various Muslim-majority countries against the right to mock religion in France
Credit: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP
France’s education minister has said that Western multiculturalism does not do enough to protect democracy, as his country doubles down in its defence of secular values over Islamism.
Critics who have accused France’s president, Emmanuel Macron of being anti-Muslim are "waging a war against democracy, not Emmanuel Macron", said Jean-Michel Blanquer in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.
His comments came as President Macron said France would double the number of police guarding its borders to tackle the "growing threat" of terrorism in the wake of a spate of attacks, the latest by an illegal Tunisian immigrant in Nice.
Mr Blanquer was speaking just three weeks after French schoolteacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an Islamist after he showed pupils caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed in Charlie Hebdo as part of a class on freedom of expression.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph and several European newspapers, he pledged to bolster protection for teachers who receive threats and insisted that France would ‘not give an inch of ground when it comes to freedom of expression”.
He also called on allies to be more vocal in supporting French efforts to "defend the values of democracy" because failure to do so "leads to totalitarianism in countries”.
One of the most influential members of Mr Macron’s centrist government, Mr Blanquer was asked why the French president’s stance on Islamism and the French principles of laîcité, the country’s staunchly secular model, had made such waves in the Muslim world.
French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer insists the French model of secularism trumps multiculturalism
Credit: REUTERS
There have been protests in a string of Muslim-majority countries, while Turkey — already at loggerheads with France — has led a drive to boycott French goods. The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has claimed that Mr Macron has a “problem with Islam” and is even “mentally unwell”.
"I don’t think that the French president has been misunderstood at all,” said Mr Blanquer.
“I think there are people who don’t want to understand him because they see the principles of democracy as their enemy. This is a war against democracy that is being waged, not against Emmanuel Macron.”
Under a landmark 1905 law on the separation of church and state, laïcité guarantees freedom of belief and thought, while banning any outward signs of religion from state schools, including headscarves,.
But for its detractors, it has become a vehicle for discrimination against France’s Muslim population.
Mr Blanquer was particularly irked by a recent article in the New York Times, which suggested that the teacher’s murder by an 18-year-old who had grown up in France from the age of six and was the product of its public schools pointed to “the failure of French integration”.
The murder “raised doubts”, the article said, that the model of state schools assimilating immigrant children into French society by instilling the nation’s ideals “still works”.
“(George) Washington would be turning in his grave,” said Mr Blanquer, blasting multiculturalism, particularly in America, as a failure.
"The secular model of the French Republic is best-suited to face the challenges of the 21st century, namely to live together with our differences in peace. We don’t believe in the model of communautarisme (a French conception that translates loosely as multiculturalism).
"We don’t think it has proved its worth in American society today, nor has it proved itself to be particularly peaceful," he said.
Mr Macron is also said to have been irritated by comments by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who last week appeared to criticise France’s stance on freedom of expression.
“In a pluralistic, diverse and respectful society like ours, we must be aware of the impact of our words, of our actions on others, particularly these communities and populations who still experience enormous discrimination,” said Mr Trudeau.
Mr Blanquer riposted by saying: "If you follow the logic that you mustn’t displease anyone, you end up saying nothing."
"I know people are trying to cast (France’s model of assimilation) as totally out of date, to make out that when one speaks about the French Republic and secularism, it’s for bearded boffins of the Third Republic. I think it’s quite the opposite,” he added.
“Those who say so support models that result in a loss of freedom, split society into silos, and turn communities in on themselves, while our model is one of freedom that allows religions to flourish but while respecting others.”
His comments came as Mr Macron on Thursday blasted mistaken claims he had vowed to fight “Islamic separatism” when in fact he had singled out “Islamist separatism” that had led to 263 deaths in the past five years in France.
“I will not allow anybody to claim that France, or its government, is fostering racism against Muslims,” said Mr Macron in a Financial Times op-ed.
“France — we are attacked for this — is as secular for Muslims as for Christians, Jews, Buddhists and all believers. The neutrality of the state, which never intervenes in religious affairs, is a guarantee of freedom of worship. Our law enforcement forces protect mosques, churches and synagogues alike.”
“We oppose deception, fanaticism, violent extremism. Not a religion,” he added.
Mr Blanquer called on allies of France to be more vocal in rallying France’s call to defend the French model rather than sniping at it.
"It would be nice if France wasn’t alone in defending the values of democracy because that is what this is about. We are all supportive of Vienna (scene of an Islamist terror attack on Monday in which four died),” he said.
“If we remain isolated and say it’s their problem not ours, that’s the attitude that leads to totalitarianism in countries.”
"Today there are people who say thank goodness there are still brave people prepared to defend freedom of expression.”
After the Paty murder, British ex-Europe minister Denis MacShane said: "The absence of any expression of solidarity in Britain is sad, a reflection perhaps of how inward-looking our society has become, under the twin pressures of Covid and Brexit.
"We are uncomfortable about confronting the freedom-denying aspects of organised faith — Christian churches not so long ago, Islam today."
French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has pledged to better protect teachers after Islamist murder last month
Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP
In the wake of the schoolteacher murder, Mr Blanquer said his government was looking into ways of creating a more robust early warning system in case of threats in the classroom.
Last year, there were 935 reports of “breaches of laïcité”, running from threats to teachers to refusal to engage in some activities. Teachers complain of a lack of support.
A recent Ifop poll suggested only six per cent have been trained in teaching laïcité while some 38 per cent self-censor themselves when teaching subjects that might offend. The figure increases to 54 per cent in schools in disadvantaged areas.
Mr Blanquer said that “values of the republic teams” had already been set up in the past three years to help teachers deal with such issues. But “in the coming days we will roll out new rules on protecting state workers (including teachers) which enables them to ask for protection each time they are under threat.”
The school would pay for all legal fees if they filed a complaint, added the minister, who has himself received death threats.
Asked for what his ministry’s official guidelines were on teaching freedom of expression, he said there were no hard rules but “common sense” dictated not just focusing on the Prophet Mohammed when showing caricatures.
“The idea is to show that caricatures are tongue-in-cheek, not necessarily disrespectful, can be humorous and are just one aspect of freedom of expression.”
“But we mustn’t give an inch of ground on freedom of expression.”
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