Gabriel Attal is a junior minister and French government spokesperson.
France defends religious freedom, and each citizen enjoys the freedom to believe or not to believe. The precondition for religious freedom is the religious neutrality of the State – its secularism. Yet, these are the very principles deemed “dangerous” and “fundamentalist” by an alarming trend in current thought.
Just days after the tragedies that unfolded in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and Nice, an op-ed in POLITICO by Farhad Khosrokhavar entitled “France’s dangerous religion of secularism” (published on October 31 and since withdrawn) sought to pin blame for these tragic events on France’s secularism. This is an insult to those who died and an unthinkable reversal of roles between the attackers and the attacked.
We should never lose sight of the facts. Last Thursday, three people died in Nice. Two weeks ago, Samuel Paty was killed because he was a teacher. These follow tens of other Islamist terrorist attacks in France in recent years that have claimed the lives of over 300 people, not to mention the multitude of potential attacks that have been prevented thanks to the tireless work of our intelligence services.
The only ideology responsible for this is radical, violent, corrupted Islamism. To recognize this is not to stigmatize Islam. The perpetrators are not representatives of France’s Muslims, who were equally horrified and shocked by these attacks.
To seek other scapegoats, to engage in victim-blaming, or to obscure this reality, for political point-scoring or other motives — as some critics both at home and abroad have sought to do — is both disingenuous and dangerous. Yet, in spite of these vile and opportunistic methods, we refuse to let ideas spread unchecked that may lead to a complete misunderstanding of what French secularism stands for. Secularism targets no one: it protects everyone. This is the essence of French secularism.
At the same time, we defend the freedom of press and the freedom of expression, which includes the right to publish satire — of which we in government are often a primary target — as well as the right to disagree with what is published. That is the basis of a healthy democracy. But we must be very clear: to defend this right is not to promote; to defend this right is not to agree; to defend this right is the only way to keep debate and democracy alive.
Given the gravity of the events of recent weeks, feelings have understandably run high, and words uttered in haste risk amplifying already heightened sensitivities. But now is the time to set these aside. What bears emphasizing is that the response of the French government has been appropriate and measured. These actions include the closure of one mosque implicated in radicalization, investigations launched into other organizations that may have been infiltrated by radical elements, and the tightening of security measures around the country. These are essential to security and to protecting the freedoms and liberties of all our citizens — religious freedom and liberty of expression alike.
France does not promote secularism as a religion. It promotes secularism to protect all religions. If it seems extremist to promote freedom of speech and religious freedom: we plead guilty. France’s liberty of expression is the basis for dialogue, free thought, and democracy. These principles are not dangerous – and they are not negotiable.