Macron’s get together moots banning headscarves in public for under-15s | France

Emmanuel Macron’s centrist political get together has prompt banning ladies below 15 from carrying the Muslim headband in all public locations, because the president chaired a high-level authorities assembly to debate what it known as “political Islamism” in France.

The French president’s workplace mentioned he had requested ministers to give you proposals earlier than June to deal with the “severe” findings of a report that Macron commissioned final yr into the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in France.

The report discovered that the Muslim Brotherhood – the motion based in Egypt greater than 90 years in the past that launched the fashionable phenomenon of political Islam – posed a “risk to nationwide cohesion” in France and risked undermining “the material of society and republican establishments”.

Earlier than the assembly, Gabriel Attal, the previous prime minister and now head of Macron’s get together, Renaissance, proposed a ban on “minors below 15 carrying the veil in public areas”. He mentioned the Muslim head overlaying worn by younger ladies “severely undermines gender equality and the safety of youngsters”.

Attal advised Le Parisien he additionally needed to introduce a felony offence of coercion for folks who make their daughters aged below 18 put on the veil.

Attal’s proposals have been criticised by some on the left. The Socialist get together lawmaker Jérôme Guedj mentioned Attal was “chasing the far proper” and turning French secularism towards Muslims.

Macron’s workplace mentioned the report on the Muslim Brotherhood in France could be revealed by the top of this week. The Élysée Palace mentioned that due to the “seriousness” of its findings, the federal government had been tasked to make proposals swiftly.

Agence France-Presse, which obtained a replica of the report, mentioned it pointed to the unfold of Islamism “from the underside up”. This was an obvious reference to municipal politics, charities, faculties and sports activities teams. The report mentioned this constituted “a risk within the brief to medium time period”.

It’s not sure if restrictions on the Muslim headband might be among the many proposals made because of the report. Within the 2022 presidential race, when Macron was re-elected, the far-right chief Marine Le Pen, who got here second, proposed banning the carrying of the Muslim headband by any girl in all public areas in France.

Beneath present French laws, civil servants in state buildings, together with faculties and hospitals, can not put on apparent spiritual symbols reminiscent of a Christian crucifix, Jewish kippah, Sikh turban or Muslim headband.

France is a secular republic constructed on a transparent separation of church and state, meant to foster equality for all non-public beliefs. The state stays impartial by way of faith however should safeguard everybody’s freedom to practise their very own religion.

In 2004, France banned ladies from carrying Islamic headscarves in state faculties – together with banning all different spiritual symbols reminiscent of crosses or turbans – arguing faculties should be freed from all faith. There’s additionally debate in authorities over proposing a brand new legislation to ban the Muslim headband in home sports activities competitions.

The Élysée mentioned it had been essential to fee a report on the Muslim Brotherhood. “The motion is current in Europe and its goal is clearly Europe,” an Élysée official mentioned, including that it was essential to “increase consciousness throughout the European Union”.

However the Élysée additionally mentioned: “We’re all completely aligned in saying that we should not lump all Muslims collectively.”

The official mentioned: “We’re preventing towards Islamism and its radical excesses.”

The report comes at a time when nationwide politics in France is concentrated on problems with nationwide identification and Islam, with Le Pen’s far proper growing its share of the vote. Bruno Retailleau, the hardline rightwing inside minister, was lately chosen to go the standard proper get together Les Républicains, after its former chief Éric Ciotti left to affix an alliance with Le Pen.

Retailleau advised the media earlier than Wednesday’s assembly that political Islamism was “quietly infiltrating sporting, cultural, social and others associations” and its final purpose was to “tip the entire of French society into sharia [law]”.

The French Muslim council issued an announcement warning towards concentrating on all Muslims. It mentioned the state “should above all not feed a generalised suspicion in direction of Muslims in France”.