A Bill has been passed in urgency in France. Pointing finger at the brutal beheading of teacher Samuel Paty by Islamist in France. The bill, known as Art. 18, is named after the slain teacher Samuel Paty. At the helm of French President Emmanuel Macron, who had vowed to move against increasing extremism in the region, the French legislature in the lower house of Parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed a bill that would enhance the oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs as a step to defend against radical Islam and ensure respect for French value.
Voting in the lower house was the first hindrance to the bill after two weeks of vigorous discussion which had begun. The bill was approved by an overwhelming vote of 347, as opposed to 151, with 65 abstentions.
The bill was initiated last year by President Macron after a series of attacks by radical Islamists convulsed the region. Titled ‘Supporting respect for the ideals of the Republic,’ the act aims to preserve French traditions, including secularism and peace.
The bill allegedly encompasses a wide variety of facets of French life that have been ferociously opposed by some purist Muslims, politicians and others who fear the state’s interference into fundamental liberties and the cornering of the country’s number two religion—Islam. However, the bill passed through the lower house of the Parliament, where the centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron holds a majority, without meeting any significant opposition.
The law was passed as a matter of urgency, particularly after the terrifying beheading of the teacher in October, followed by a lethal assault on the Basilica in Nice. The bill, known as Art. 18, is named after the slain teacher Samuel Paty, who was decapitated outside his school west of Paris to replicate the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in the weekly satirical journal ‘Charlie Hebdo.’
The bill would allow law enforcement officers to immediately apprehend a suspect for spreading hatred online. The bill would allow agencies to prosecute a citizen with an online hate speech law punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of EUR 45.000. The bill will ban the wearing of hijab in private and public offices. It is notable here that the bill mentions neither Muslims nor Islam by name
