On December 9, 2020, the French cabinet presented a draft law “to reinforce Republican principles”. The bill targets “radical Islamism” — although the word “Islamist” is not part of the text.
- The bill follows a series of terror attacks that have left more than 260 people dead in France since 2015.
Salient features of the draft bill
- Religious associations and mosques are required to declare foreign funding of more than €10,000.
- A man who refuses to allow a male doctor to examine his wife could face up to five years in jail and a fine of up to 75,000 euros.
- It makes it easier for authorities to shut schools that indoctrinate children and associations that criticize French Republican values such as gender equality.
- In the bill, home schooling is permitted only for health reasons or special circumstances such as regarding professional athletes. It is designed to prevent parents from secretly enrolling their children in clandestine religious schools.
- The bill outlaws the practice among some Muslim families of requiring women to undergo a medical examination to check their virginity before they can marry.
- The bill also reinforce measures aimed at preventing forced marriages and crack down on polygamy.
- It seeks to extend an existing ban on overt religious symbols involving civil servants to employees who provide a public service like transportation.
Criticism
- It has been criticized as some some groups claim that the legislation risks stigmatizing France’s Muslim community, one of Europe’s largest.
- Article 24 of the proposed bill makes it a criminal offence to publish images of on-duty police officers with the intent to harm their “physical or psychological integrity”. The bill says offenders could face up to a year in prison and be fined €45,000 (£40,500; $54,000).
- This article has drawn criticism from human rights groups and activists who say that filming instances of police brutality is crucial in holding officers to account.
