Le Pen’s Party Attacks French Muslims And Calls For Restrictions On Them

Far-right figures in France, represented by the leader of the “National Rally” party, Marine Le Pen, and her right-hand man, Jordan Bardella, exploited the 120th anniversary of the enactment of the “Religious Freedom” law to attack the Islamic religion and, by extension, the communities that adhere to it, especially the Algerian community, which is considered the largest among its counterparts.

Despite this law guaranteeing religious freedom in France and affirming that it is secured by the constitutional rights stipulated in the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” of 1789, based on the principles of the French Revolution, the right and far-right insist on twisting the neck of this legal text and on forcing the state to enact laws that prevent members of Muslim communities residing on French soil from practicing their beliefs, rituals, and traditions.

The leader of the far-right, Marine Le Pen, wrote on her “X” platform account on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, on the occasion of this anniversary: “The celebration of the 120th anniversary of the law separating church and state must remind every French person that the principle of secularism from which it stems is today being violated and threatened by the rise of Islamic communitarianism, encouraged by the left and the right, who have turned their backs on the Republic.”

In a clear mobilization against members of the Muslim community, Marine Le Pen said in her tweet: “…this principle (referring to secularism) is non-negotiable, it is the guarantee of our national cohesion, as it allows every individual in our country to believe or not to believe, and prevents any religion from encroaching on the public sphere, and replaces civil laws with religious ones.”

In her post, Marine Le Pen tries to imply that members of the Muslim community are violating the secularism law by Muslim women and schoolgirls wearing Islamic attire in public spaces, a debate that right-wing and far-right figures are trying to impose on public opinion in France these days, through the media arsenal controlled by this current obsessed with hostility towards immigrants and fighting the Islamic religion.

Her right-hand man, Jordan Bardella, who leads the “National Rally” party on her behalf, did not lag behind in violating the rights guaranteed to the Muslim community, based on French state law, claiming that millions of French people who adhere to Islam are threatening the principle of secularism.

Jordan Bardella said in a “tweet” on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, on his “X” platform account: “If the principle of secularism is threatened today, it is mainly due to Islamism, its political and religious demands, and its desire to conquer the entire (French) society.”

He added: “Today we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the 1905 law, which establishes the separation of religion and state and forms the basis of the French vision of secularism. This principle is threatened today. We must have the courage to identify who is threatening it: it is not the traditional processions in the south of France, nor the nativity scenes that are a special source of pride for Provence (a region in southern France).”

It is clear from the words of this far-right politician, who comes from an immigrant family, that he excludes French citizens from the Christian community, who constitute the majority in French society, and not even members of the Jewish community. Instead, he blames French citizens from the Muslim community for threatening the principle of secularism, which the 1905 law enshrines their rights to freedom of choosing the religion they embrace.

He concludes his crude tweet by declaring his explicit hostility against Islam and his racism against members of the Muslim community, saying: “Defending secularism against its true enemies means standing firm against Islamism, daring to name it and confront it face to face.”

Since 1905, France has become a secular state, and the French government has followed the principle of “laïcité,” which guarantees religious freedom, as stated in the first paragraph of this law: “The Republic affirms freedom of conscience. It guarantees the free exercise of religious worship under the sole restrictions of the service of public order and public interest.”

Although the legal texts are clear, which is the non-interference of the state in religion while guaranteeing freedom of belief, right-wing and far-right politicians in France are pushing for laws that restrict the freedom of Muslims to perform their religious rituals, and they have gone so far as to prohibit fasting for children under 16, and to prohibit the hijab for girls as well, in a blatant interference with rights, and a clear and explicit violation of the 1905 law, which right-wing figures have breached by calling for restrictions on French Muslims.