PARIS – French lawmakers tackle a bill on Monday to dig up radical Islam by its roots in the country, beliefs that authorities maintain are creeping into public services, associations, some schools and online with the goal of undermining national values.
The bill is broad and controversial, with 1,700 proposed amendments, and guarantees heated debate for the next two weeks in the lower house.
It reflects a priority for President Emmanuel Macron, who in an October speech painted a dark picture of a perverse version of Islam, France’s No.2 religion, quietly making inroads and creating a “counter society.” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, a right-leaning member of Macron’s centrist party, took up the mission with zeal.