by Boaz Bismuth
France is a secular republic founded on the values of liberty and democracy. It is fitting that it should begin to demand from those entering its gates to respect these values – or go back to their countries of origin.
The horrific murder of three civilians at Notre Dame Church in downtown Nice on Thursday, which also included a ghastly beheading, became part of the US presidential election campaign in recent days, when President Donald Trump spoke of it in his tweets and in a rally in Florida on Thursday, and understandably so – it was a gruesome attack.
Four years ago, just before the Republican convention in Cleveland, another horrific attack took place in Nice, and then, too, the attacker was a young Tunisian man who rammed into dozens of people on the city promenade during Bastille Day celebrations.
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The investigation into the 2016 attack derived that the terrorist was not even registered with the immigration authorities, as he had arrived in France illegally.
Over the weekend, a report was also received of the shooting of an Orthodox priest in Lyon, although the circumstances of the incident have yet to be fully ascertained.
France has to wake up. It has no choice. Something bad is happening in the French republic, and if the French do not wake up in time, they will find themselves trapped in an Islamic republic, or worse – under the extreme right-wing rule of Marine Le Pen, whose party only grows stronger over such incidents. Both are equally horrid evils.
About three weeks ago, I visited Nice. My 15-year-old daughter Michal didn't like it there. "Dad, let's go," she told me. Why? What happened? My daughter frequently visits France. She's French like her mother and was even born in Aix-en-Provence. But there was a menacing air on the streets.
My cousin Michele, who grew up in Nice, told me that no one visits Notre Dame Street anymore – they just avoid going there. Political correctness forbids us from saying some things explicitly, but North African youth have brought a lot of violence into the area. This is the truth and it should be acknowledged.
France must fight political Islam. It has no place in the republic we (I, at least) love so much.
In 2004, France expelled Abdelkader Bouziane, a prominent imam from Lyon back to his country, Algeria, following extremist remarks. He was not the only imam deported from France as part of the country's war on terror. Then-President Jacques Chirac and his Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin decided to deport Bouziane back to Algeria but civil rights groups protested the move. Freedom of expression ended up allowing him the freedom of incitement.
Now France has no choice. There is no more time for games. It is understandable that cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad will offend the sensibilities of a devout Muslim, just as cartoons degrading Jesus or Moses would offend devout Christians or Jews. Religious symbols and beliefs must be respected but I do not see Israel exporting rabbis who decry insults to Judaism around the world and openly call for violent revenge.
France is a secular republic founded on the values of liberty and democracy. It is fitting that it should begin to demand from those entering its gates to respect these values – or go back to their countries of origin.
Boaz Bismuth
Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/france-needs-to-wake-up-before-it-becomes-an-islamic-republic/
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