French President Emmanuel Macron criticised on September 4 what he called “Islamic separatism” in his country and those who seek French citizen-ship without accepting France’s “right to commit blasphemy.”
Mr Macron defended satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which published caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that helped inspire two French-born Islamic extremists to mount a deadly January 2015 attack on the newspaper’s newsroom.
The weekly republished the images as the trial began of 14 people over the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and on a kosher super-market.
Speaking at a ceremony celebrating France’s democratic history and naturalising new citizens, the French President said, “You don’t choose one part of France. You choose France… The Republic will never allow any separatist adventure.”
Freedom in France, Mr Macron said, includes “the freedom to believe or not to believe. But this is inseparable from the freedom of expression up to the right to blasphemy.”
India’s poor deserve better than this
Concerns are being raised about whether the needs of poor and marginalized communities in India are receiving enough attention in current government policies. Observers say
