This is particularly evident in Arab-African relations, which thrived throughout the Middle Ages. Arabic language, culture, and traditions had begun spreading on the African continent in the 7th century AD, shortly after the emergence of Islam.
France's war against the Arabic language
In the 19th century, many European powers, including France, colonized Africa. From the outset, France waged a fierce campaign against Islamic culture and the Arabic language, striving to eliminate it from social and academic life and replace it with French. Colonial administrator Colonel Paul Marty, who served in Tunisia and Morocco and was an expert in the Arabic language, wrote about this in his book Le Maroc de Demain (The Morocco of Tomorrow), published in 1927.
"We must rigorously combat any attempt to provide education in Arabic, any intervention from Sharia scholars, and any manifestation of Islam. Only this way will we attract children, only through our own schools."French authorities even prohibited their compatriots in the occupied territories from communicating with the locals in any language other than French. This policy aligned with Paris's broader educational and linguistic agenda. Following the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870, the Third Republic implemented free, compulsory, secular education under reforms carried out by French Prime Minister Jules Ferry (known as the Jules Ferry Laws). Expanding the use of the language throughout the territories was also French colonial policy.
Comment: For further insight, check out the following prescient article from 2011: The Golden Age, Psychopathy and the Sixth Extinction
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