RTFri, 29 Jul 2016 16:40 UTC
© Robert Pratta / Reuters
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says he is considering a temporary ban on the
foreign financing of mosques after a series of attacks reportedly perpetrated by Islamic State, including the recent Nice tragedy and the killing of a priest at French church.
Speaking to Le Mondenewspaper, Valls said that France needs to re-think its relationship with Islam."I believe in particular that the imams should be trained in France and elsewhere. I support that there won't be any foreign financing for the construction of mosques for a period to be determined," Valls said. The French PM added that he hopes that "millions of Muslims in our country will be loyal to play the democratic game and will stick to our republican values... We must be uncompromising with those who defend fundamentalist ideologues and those who, under a fundamentalist discourse, prepare the minds to violence.
Salafism has no place in France," he added.
Valls admitted that it was a "failure" that one of the extremists, who killed 85-year-old priest Jacques Hamel on Tuesday, had been released from prison with an electronic tag and was living with his parents under curfew.
Hamel was killed by having his throat slit during a hostage situation at a church in Normandy, northern France. IS claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by two terrorists who were subsequently shot dead by police.
France has been on high alert following a deadly attack in Nice on July 14. At least 84 people were killed when a truck plowed through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations. Weapons and grenades were found in the vehicle following the rampage. Several days later a news agency linked to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) released a statement in which the group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
Meanwhile on Friday, the French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM) called upon the country's Muslims to attend a church mass to show solidarity with Christians. CFCM dubbed the attack as a "cowardly assassination."
The move is "to show our Christian brothers the solidarity and compassion of France's Muslims in the wake of this new tragedy that has struck our country through an attack on a place of worship," the group said. Professor Bruno Drweski from the National Institute of Languages and Eastern Civilizations says the aim of terrorist groups is to make people feel endangered all over France.
"I think they [terrorists] have different scenarios and methods and they use different methods at different times so the police will never be sure what will happen next. That's part of their psychological warfare. It can be aimed to create a gap between Christians and Muslims - especially between the French Catholic Church and Muslim organizations," he told RT.
Comment: On the one hand, this is quite antagonistic coming from the Prime Minister of France, considering that roughly 10% of France's population is Muslim. Despite Valls'
absurd claim that the Nice truck attacker was radicalized in two weeks, there is no evidence that indicates the attack was directed by ISIS. However, the tragedy was
used by many to call for increasing controls. Valls' inflammatory anti-Muslim stance only deepens the twisted and unjustified tensions between the normal people of the world.
However, on the other hand, Valls is making an accurate distinction (which will go over many's heads) by specifying Salafism, the looney variety of Islam promoted by looneys extraordinaire: the Saudis. Banning the foreign (i.e., Saudi, or Gulenist) influence of mosques would be a good thing, as long as it is accompanied by a rational and compassionate promotion of real Islam. If people knew the difference, Isamophobia would have nowhere to breed.
Comment: On the one hand, this is quite antagonistic coming from the Prime Minister of France, considering that roughly 10% of France's population is Muslim. Despite Valls' absurd claim that the Nice truck attacker was radicalized in two weeks, there is no evidence that indicates the attack was directed by ISIS. However, the tragedy was used by many to call for increasing controls. Valls' inflammatory anti-Muslim stance only deepens the twisted and unjustified tensions between the normal people of the world.
However, on the other hand, Valls is making an accurate distinction (which will go over many's heads) by specifying Salafism, the looney variety of Islam promoted by looneys extraordinaire: the Saudis. Banning the foreign (i.e., Saudi, or Gulenist) influence of mosques would be a good thing, as long as it is accompanied by a rational and compassionate promotion of real Islam. If people knew the difference, Isamophobia would have nowhere to breed.