In a major development, French Parliament has passed an anti-radicalisation bill, aiming to curb Islamic radicalism. The latest Bill was passed by 347 votes to 151 in the French parliament’s lower house where France President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party and allies enjoy a majority.
According to the anti-radicalisation bill passed by France, kids will no longer go to madrassas for studies, they will attend school to acquire knowledge instead. Through the bill, the government has tried to crack down on such illegal schools, where education is conducted under a particular agenda.
It may be noted that since Samuel Paty’s murder, Macron is taking tough steps against Islamic terrorism. The bill will strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists. After this bill, the only namaz will be offered at the Mosques.
As per this law, a person can be fined as much as Rs 13 lakh if he insists that the medical examination of his wife or child will not be done by a male doctor or if a man forces a girl for marriage or marries more than one. According to Sharia law, any Muslim can marry four people but that can’t happen in France anymore.
As per the new law, all religious institutions in France will have to inform the government about the donations received from abroad. If the funding is more than Rs 8 lakh, they will have to inform the government about this and if they do not do so, the French government will stop giving financial assistance to such religious institutions from the country.
There is a rise in the incidence of radical Islamic terrorism in the country, that is the reason why France brought this law. The bill will empower law enforcement officials to swiftly arrest a person for spreading hate online. The bill will enable agencies to charge a person with online hate speech law, which will be punishable by up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros. The bill will ban the wearing of hijab in private and public offices. It is notable here that the bill mentions neither Muslims nor Islam by name.
While many supported the bill, many Muslim organisations protested against the bill, demanding the repeal of the anti-radicalisation bill. Protesters said that Islamophobia is being spread across the world through the new bill. Now, protests against anti-radicalisation bill in Pakistan have begun.
The bill was brought in because there have been 10 major terrorist attacks in France in the past five years and more than 250 people have been killed in such attacks.
