French President Hollande’s latest decisions make the Muslims fear the worst!

The recent announcement by the French President, François Hollande, calling for new legislation to beef up the fight against terrorism justifies the fears of the Algerian community in particular and Muslims in general of a bleak immediate future for them, as these new security-related measures are seen by many as a motive to further repress Muslims living in France.

President Hollande’s speech, calling for altering some specific provisions of the French Constitution, did not leave indifferent the Algerian community members settled in France.

Some people have expressed fears that there will serious drifts at the expense of Muslims, while others think that France, the land of human rights, and won’t go that far.

Retired colonel Ahmed Khelfaoui, a supporter of the second approach, told “Echorouk” that our community, choosing willfully to live in France, must adapt to the customs of that country and to smoothly integrate into French society.

He further explained that freedom of worship in France is guaranteed for all, while the respect of the values ​​of French secularism must be abided by everyone, regardless of one’s religion.

In the opinion of the retired officer, the French President is responsible for taking all measures meant to protect his country, the French citizens’ well-being and their property, including the amendment to the Constitution and the laws that help maintain and bolster security.

However, Professor of political science at the University of Algiers, Salim Kelala, suggested that any untoward drifts harming the Muslim community in general and Algerians in particular, will deal a blow to the brand image of France, a country of human rights and freedoms, while calling on the French authorities to learn from the successful experience of Great Britain that lives in harmony with all communities.

Mr Kelala explained that France, through its long-running tradition of secularism, is a good example for other European countries, but in the light of what sadly happened in Paris, the French society is now steeped into a “malaise”, as he put it.

The Muslim community settled in France and in other European countries is a historical reality and cannot be “obfuscated” by repressive laws, he stressed.

“And it’s not in stigmatizing this community that we will manage to solve the security problems, as this approach could spawn the opposite effect with very nefarious repercussions”, he added.