:
Eric Ciotti: “There are many cities in France where the laws of the Republic have been replaced by religious laws.” Through his statements, Eric Ciotti is one of those who are certain of the absolute superiority of their model and worldview.
He is one of the populists who constantly deny Islam any legitimacy to be one of the religions of our continent.
Europe is a land of democracy and everyone who forms its population, regardless of their origin, tradition, beliefs, or disbeliefs, is here to contribute together to its future.
The renowned daily Le Monde comments thus: “Eric Ciotti is one of the certain politicians who have taken advantage to spread falsehoods and absurdities.”
What does Mr. Ciotti mean? Molenbeek is a Belgian neighborhood characterized by its strong diversity and the presence of a significant Muslim minority, similar to many places in Europe. But claiming that “religious laws,” specifically Islamic Sharia, “replace” republican laws there remains purely anxiety-inducing rhetoric.
In Belgium, as in France, we are not familiar with the stoning of adulterous women, the amputation of thieves, or “apostates” being whipped in public, in short, no element of Islamic “religious law” as they may exist in some Muslim countries. Even less so on the scale of entire “cities.”
If Mr. Ciotti is alluding to the wearing of the Islamic veil, French law permits it in public space as long as it does not conceal the face. If he wants to refer to Salafism, a radical religious practice of Islam, it does not “reign” in French cities and certainly does not enforce Sharia.
In short, is it possible to discuss the fear of religious radicalism without falling into anxiety-inducing caricatures?
