Macron introduced the bill after the murder of a teacher near Paris
The National Assembly (the lower house of the French parliament) on February 16 voted in favor of a bill “on the protection of republican values”, directed against the so-called Islamist separatism.
The amendment was introduced by supporters of President Emmanuel Macron after the murder of teacher Samuel Pati near Paris because of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
347 deputies voted for the law, 151 were against it. Now the members of the Senate – the upper house of parliament – have to vote for it.
Proponents of the law hope that it will create obstacles to radical religious groups seeking to undermine the secular nature of the state.
Opponents say he stigmatizes Muslims and restricts freedom of speech and religion.
The bill, among other things, provides grounds for the closure of mosques and religious schools, introduces reporting requirements for funding of religious groups from abroad, and proposes that all children from the age of three should attend school.
The authors of the bill believe that homeschooling is becoming more common in the Islamic community in France, which prevents children from Muslim families from understanding “republican values.”