ABC: “The enemy within”: Is there a place for Muslims in France’s secular republic?

“This terrorist wanted to kill the Republic, its values, the Enlightenment, the possibility to turn our children into free citizens. This fight is our fight, and it is an existential fight.” So President Emmanuel Macron announced to the nation in the wake of the murder of teacher Samuel Paty on 16 October 2020. Paty was beheaded by 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, a Chechen refugee, following his use of Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed as part of a classroom discussion on free speech.

Just days later, there was another attack, this time inside the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice, where three people were killed by recently arrived Tunisian migrant, Brahim Aouissaoui. For many French people, already dealing with further COVID-19 restrictions, and the ongoing Charlie Hebdo trial, these attacks are the latest wound on the nation’s bruised body — and a bloody reminder that France remains a prime target for some Muslim extremists.

Photo Credit : In the wake of two violent terror attacks, fierce public debates have re-ignited over the place and rights of Muslims in France. (Adnan Farzat / NurPhoto via Getty Images)