Can Macron halt the rise of Islamic extremism?
Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his plan to combat the rise of Islamic extremism in France. Stressing that his fight was not against the religion but political Islam, 'which has no place' in the Republic, the president outlined a series of measures in a speech last week. Notably, his plans involve an end to the hosting of imams from countries such as Turkey and Algeria, and more rigorous control on foreign financing of mosques from the likes of Qatar.
Macron is
certainly not the first president to talk tough on the subject of Islam, but
that's all France got from François Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques
Chirac: rhetoric but no action. All the while political Islam continues its
rise, creating ruptures within the Republic that a growing number of French
believe are irreparable.