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AFP News Agency
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Despite mounting criticism, Macron stands his ground on Turkiye secular law controversy
_{19 March 2024}

PARIS (AFP) - The arrest of a school teacher for conducting a prayer at a school in Turkiye, followed by mass arrests of Muslim protesters and the intervention of the military has drawn international media attention and condemnation toward the Republic of Turkiye. A prominent member of the European Union, Ankara faced mounting criticism over its enforcement of strict secularism dating back to the time of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, considered the country’s founding father and officially bestowed with the title of Eternal President. While European countries have largely condemned what many see as a heavy-handed response and crackdown on religious freedom, France has been an outlier in a sea of criticism.

France’s initial response came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its lead Elisabeth Borne. Borne said that France considered the issue of the arrests and the enforcement of Turkish secularism laws as an “internal issue” and refused to issue any special travel warnings for French Muslims. Later on, Borne responded to criticism from Le Monde which asked whether France would refuse to defend French Muslims living in or working in Turkiye to which the Foreign Minister responded that, “no extraordinary circumstances have emerged that would make us fear for the safety of French citizens abroad, much less within a country of the EU.” Borne reiterated that France considered the matter “purely internal.”

After nearly a day of silence, French President Emmanuel Macron chimed in when asked to comment by European outlet Euronews. “France is a secular country. I support laicism”, Macron told Euronews during the press brief, without elaborating further. A similar question asked by L’Humanité received a similar response, with Macron reiterating his support for “secularism” and the “strict separation of the state and all religious institutions.” “I believe in secularism and I believe the majority of French people also believe that we are a secular country. That our country should be secular”, the French President said.

The Gaullist President’s secular beliefs were a key part of his presidential campaign back in 2023, when he attacked incumbent Socialist President François Hollande for easing France’s secular laws despite the prevalence of Islamist violence. Hollande’s drastic drop in popularity stemmed from his mishandling of several terrorist attacks linked to Islamist groups, something Macron capitalized on and blamed on the easing of immigration and secular laws. While heavily criticized by the left, the UDR emerged victorious during the 2020 French Legislative Election, dealing a serious blow to Hollande who would go on to lose to Macron in the first round of the Presidential Election with the latter receiving 52.3% of the vote.

Throughout his presidency, Macron has remained committed to his campaign promises. Despite controversy, the National Assembly (now controlled by his Gaullist UDR) passed a new “national security law” leading to arrest and deportation of several radical Islamic preachers and a ban on various organizations promoting radical ideologies. The crackdown also extended to religious groups labeled cults, including the U.S-based religious group known as Scientology which was banned and some of its France-based leaders arrested on security and financial crimes. While France’s laws have been challenged in court, domestic and European courts have upheld them though legal experts have stated that the laws “nearly cross the line between violating the EU’s basic religious freedoms and its commitments to national security.” Despite controversy, a 2023 Ipsos poll found that 54.3% of Frenchmen approved of the crackdowns.

France’s long and complicated history with laicism and Macron’s recent support for Turkiye’s own crackdown upon religious groups come hand in hand. In fact, this was underlined during a visit by Turkish Vice President Nikol Paşinyan who was warmly received by the French President. At a joint press conference, Macron framed the situation as a matter of “national security and integrity” and reiterated his belief in laicism. He also condemned an apparent rise in anti-Turkish sentiment abroad, which he added “further justified a lawful crackdown on religious radicalism.” During the joint press conference, Macron stated that, “There needs to be balance between freedom to practice one’s religion and the security of the state. We have laws that protect the freedom for people to practice their religion, but there are no freedoms to impose said religion upon the state or upon the people”, he added that both France and Turkiye had been “victims of religious terrorism” and that “secularism was the natural response and a matter of self-defense.”

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