Op-ed article. The recent appeal by bodies of certain countries to boycott French products is incomprehensible, shocking and unjust. It represents a process of exclusion, precisely the opposite of what it is supposed to be combating. Who could reasonably say that France mistreats its Muslim citizens? No one, except perhaps those who would seek to plant the seeds of discord within the French national community.
Now more than ever, concord and unity must prevail within the French national community, which is currently experiencing a series of unspeakable attacks that grieve us all. We, the Muslims of France and other Mediterranean countries, appeal for calm and reason.
There are two issues. First, the emotion elicited by the cartoons of the Prophet and the statements of French authorities on this subject. Second, the comments of President Emmanuel Macron in a recent speech on separatism. Let’s take them one by one.
The cartoons of the Prophet. Those who are calling for boycotts criticize the drawings of the Prophet, calling them blasphemous and degrading. We, the writers and signatories of this text, find them vulgar and shocking. But in France, blasphemy is not a crime. It may thus be criticized, but it is not against the law.
Since the 1789 Revolution, freedom of expression has been protected under Article 10 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Limits are clearly articulated by the law, allowing neither insults nor incitement to hatred such as racism. Indeed, every citizen is free to go to court if he believes these limits have been crossed, not in the name of the right to blasphemy, but in the name of respect of human dignity, and no matter which religion is concerned, Catholic, Protestant , Jewish or Muslim. But nothing in any case allows the resort to violence, neither in French law nor in Islam.
We understand that certain Muslims feel offended and shocked by these drawings, but we stress that Islam also rejects all idolatry or sacralization of a human person. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad himself stressed that he was only a messenger. He was on several occasions mocked, denounced as crazy, a usurper or insulted by his opponents.
At no time did God call for the perpetrators of these provocations to be killed; he rather encouraged the adoption of wise and patient conduct when faced with adversity: “We certainly know that your heart is truly distressed by what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord, and be one of those who always pray, and worship your Lord until the inevitable comes your way. “ (Koran XV, 97-99). God encouraged the first Muslims to ignore these attacks and demonstrate intelligence: “When you hear the verses of God being denied and ridiculed, do not sit with them until they enter another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like them. “ (Koran IV, 140).
Contrary to what has been said here or there, President Macron’s speech did not criticize Islam. It criticized Islamism, which is a deformation of Islam
Not only does God not call for vengeance, but he asks that links never be broken with the perpetrators of this mockery, through concentration on that which unites and not on that which divides. Murders in the name of defending the Prophet, acts of violence and appeals for boycotts thus clearly run counter to the message of the Koran and carry profane and political messages far removed from the spiritual and ethical depth of Islam.
Next, the issue of President Macron’s speech on separatism. Contrary to what has been said here or there, this speech did not criticize Islam. It criticized Islamism, which is a deformation of Islam. In criticizing Islamist ideology, it respected Islam, a distinction that might have been poorly understood in the Arabic translation.
Contrary to what has been said here or there, at no point did the speech set out to reform or modify Islam. The president of the French Republic is respectful of every religion. And he is respectful of a French tradition, established by a law of 1905: the separation of Church, of churches, and State. The French State does not intervene in the life of churches, in any of them.
In this speech of October 2, President Macron reaffirmed a certain number of measures regarding public order and the neutrality of public services and spelled out provisions relating to the rights of associations and to school, the pillars and crucible of our French republican pact. Also, and especially, he stressed the necessity of building an Islam in France, an Islam of Lights, freed from foreign influences, structured and transparent in its financing, and fully integrating the cultural part of Islam-civilization without impinging one inch on Islam- religion.
With his refoundational speech, President Macron sought to stress that all French citizens need to recognize themselves as members of the French Republic, notably the least privileged among them, or the least financially, socially or culturally secure. And he reminded all that racism, discrimination and separations have no place in France.
We, intellectuals engaged in an effort for concord on an international scale, have chosen to support ideas like this, which bear witness to a universal ideal, and of which Islam-civilization is one expression. At Unesco in 2019, on the occasion of a conference organized by the association Islam in the 21st Century, we saluted such an approach, which seeks “To make one out of many” and allows, thanks to culture, uniting rather than dividing, bringing together rather than ostracizing and excluding.
Cultural and religious diversity is desired for humans by God, he who declares: “Had God willed, He would have made you one nation, but He intended to test you in what He has given you. So race to all that is good. To Him is your return, all together. He will then inform you concerning that over which you used to differ. “ (Koran V, 48). Any act of aggression against one religion is an attack against all religions.
It is because the French Republic “recognizes no religious denomination” that it protects them all.
It is because the French Republic “Recognizes no religious denomination” that it protects them all. Under Article I of the 1958 Constitution, “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social republic. It ensures the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction as to their origin, race or religion. It respects all beliefs. “ Although General de Gaulle felt that the secular nature [of France] was obvious, the article’s writer, Michel Debré, is said to have insisted to him that it be mentioned. More than seventy years later, we can appreciate how necessary this mention was for France, one of the world’s only countries to have written equality into its national motto, and which strives to follow these ideals.
We, intellectuals of widely different backgrounds, bear witness in favor of this French probity and its legitimacy. These are not hollow words. As people of international experience, we can readily paraphrase and adopt the expression “Happy as a Muslim in France”… For Islam is a religion of conscience that addresses the individual directly, each Muslim being “A Church” unto himself, accountable only to God. “Whoever so wills may believe, and whoever so wills may deny,” the Koran tells us (XVIII, 29), reaffirming the value of the individual. As man is subject only to God, he is in essence unsubjugated, in a form of universal emancipation in accordance with the republican ideal of individuals liberated from the adoration or subservience of their peers.
This is why the accusation of supposed French interference violating the intimacy of Muslim consciences is so false. It also tends to denounce human law as seeking to contradict the law of God. But in France, religious freedom is the rule! “No one may be disturbed on account of his opinions, even religious ones, as long as the manifestation of such opinions does not interfere with the established law and order”, says the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789.
Public order and religious order are separate in France, in full respect of the fundamental rights of citizens. Distinguishing these two orders allows both for respecting the transcendence of believers and for limiting the pretensions of certain people who could imagine they are speaking for God (and therefore competing with him).
Observers of French society, we recognize the fact that it sometimes raises questions that are ahead of their time, with universal considerations in mind. Some may consider such an attitude to be arrogant. We do not share those criticisms. Allowing each person to take charge of his destiny, while at the same time integrating himself in the republican melting pot, represents in our view all the beauty – and the difficulty – of the republican paradigm, and in no way conflicts with the private beliefs of each person.
Beyond taking account of the diversity of cultural expressions, the French model respects the universality of values without pitting communities against each other… The Koran affirms the unique nature of man: “We have made you races and tribes that you may get mutually acquainted. Surely the most honorable among you, in the sight of God, are the most pious. “ (Koran, XLIX, 13).
President Macron, adhering to the founding principles of the Republic, stresses that we are all different and all equal, guaranteeing the universality of reflection, without falling into the trap of a subjugating cultural relativism. Thus we most forcefully speak out against attacks, violence and manifestations of hatred.
In line with the philosopher Alain, let us fight for Liberty, defend Equality, and promote Fraternity: “To wish to associate only with those whom we totally approve of is an illusion, and is fanaticism itself. “ For Fraternity is linked with Liberty (or my autonomy) and Equality (or my ethical duty to respect others).
In conclusion, boycotting French products means boycotting France. Boycotting France means disregarding the reality of its ideals, ignoring its respect of religions – the religion of the prophet and the others. The boycott of France must cease and a path must be found back to dialogue, receptiveness and mutual respect.
Signatories: Farid Abdelkrim, author and actor; Mohamed Bajrafil, Islamologist and essayist; Sadek Beloucif, president of the association Islam in the 21st Century; Chems-eddine Hafiz, rector of the Great Mosque of Paris; Eva Janadin, chief delegate of the association Islam in the 21st Century; Hakim El Karoui, founder of the Muslim Association for Islam of France; Khaldoun Nabwani, to philosophize; Tareq Oubrou, grand imam of Bordeaux; Hachem Saleh, writer; Youssef Seddik, philosopher, anthropologist of sacred texts.
