PRESIDENT Arif Alvi on Saturday urged the political leadership of France “not to entrench the discriminatory attitudes against Muslims into laws” and warned that such steps would lead to serious repercussions in the shape of hatred and conflict.
The President’s call came in reference to a bill passed by the French Parliament’s lower house on Tuesday with overwhelming majority that would strengthen oversight of mosques, in an act of discrimination against Muslims.
The Presidency has done well by hosting an international conference on religious freedom and minorities rights in the backdrop of anti-Muslim actions and initiatives in different countries of the globe.
Such events where foreign speakers are also invited help sensitize the international community on issues of concern to the Muslim world. While the President spoke at length on the overall framework in Pakistan for safeguarding and promoting interests and rights of minorities, he also drew attention to the deplorable plight of the Muslims in some parts of the world especially in the West where they are utterly discriminated against both at societal and governmental levels.
Experts say that French President Emmanuel Macron’s low approval ratings and his fear of not being re-elected have led him to adopt a series of policies including stigmatization of the Muslim minority, believing that such diversionary tactics would help him make popular again and lead the French people to overlook the real problems and failures of his Government like pathetic handling of the Covid situation. Macron drew condemnation of his Islamophobic policies from across the Islamic world and all those members of the world community who care about rights (for all) but regrettably he has persisted with his anti-Muslim plans.
It is rightly said that Macron singled out an entire religion and proposed a bill that proposes policing this religion under the guise of national security.
He has secured passage of the bill from a chamber where he enjoys a majority but French Muslims, lawmakers and others fear the state is intruding on essential freedoms and pointing a finger at Islam, the nation’s No. 2 religion.
President Alvi has highlighted the point that the French legislation was not in line with the United Nations Charter and contradicted the spirit of social harmony that Europe previously instilled in its society.
We hope the issue would be agitated at all available forums and other members of the OIC would also raise it forcefully to force the French government to revoke measures that amount to unjust suppression of an entire community merely on the basis of faith.
