The future of Algerian-French relations: “A gateway of respect and an end to hostile campaigns”

The Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Chems-eddine Hafiz, and the Archbishop of Algiers, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, both warned against the negative effects that the current “diplomatic tensions” between Algeria and France, which have reached an unprecedented level, could have.

The crisis, fueled by many French right-wing parties and pushed towards further tension, has reached the point where the French President, Emmanuel Macron, has embarked on a path of hostility against Algeria, as can be inferred from the message he sent to Prime Minister François Bayrou.

Based on a joint text signed by the two men and published in Le Monde on Sunday, the two figures stressed that the future between the two countries will only be strong through brotherhood and mutual respect.

The two figures added that what prompted them to issue this statement was a sense of responsibility and the need to affirm that coexistence between the two peoples is possible, despite religious differences.

“In the face of the serious crisis that is clouding relations between France and Algeria today, we – the Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris and the Archbishop of Algiers – feel it is our duty to raise our voices loudly, in our personal names and in a spirit of humility before our responsibilities, to say what unites us: we are brothers.”

This brotherhood, the message adds, “is not just a slogan, but a living experience, born from our individual and collective history, from our religious and cultural affiliations, and from our loyalty to two peoples and two homelands. It has led us, each through their own path, to carry the voice of a faith community and involve it in dialogue with society as a whole.”

This joint appeal exposes the racist view adopted by the right towards minorities and communities living on French soil, who are subjected to intense attacks through various means and media, which fuel racial discrimination, interference in the affairs of others, and attempts to impose a vision that does not align with the specificities of these minorities, through legal restrictions and discrimination between them and other components of French society, even though, according to them, difference “is not a problem, but an opportunity. Full citizenship does not mean abandoning faith, but living it in a spirit of responsibility and respect.”

The message also recalled the principles and goals advocated by Saint Augustine, “the African rooted in ancient Algeria and universal in his thought, we want to show that identity is not a closed block, but a living reality, constantly interacting,” and expressed their refusal to be considered strangers in either country. This is especially true after the campaign led by the right and many Zionist parties against the Rector of the Paris Mosque since 2023, which seeks to demonize him by leveling accusations of anti-Semitism, claims that find no support except in the pro-Zionist French media.