New legislation in France accused of islamophobia

A controversial ‘anti-separatism’ bill has recently been approved by the Senate. The bill would give the authorities the power to close please of worship that receive foreign funding or preaches certain ideologies. Although the bill does not single out any particular religion, critics say it is an “attack on civil liberties”. France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim population of around six million people and the views regarding the bill are not unilateral in this large community. Human rights activists say that the legislation focuses on responding to radicalism in some neighborhoods, predominantly Muslim, but fails to address the radicalism of the far right.