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France calls in Pakistani envoy over Islamabad's criticism of anti-Muslim bill

Tuesday, 23 February 2021 4:46 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 23 February 2021 5:37 PM ]

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi

The French Foreign Ministry has summoned Pakistan's envoy to Paris to protest remarks by Pakistani President Arif Alvi criticizing a piece of French legislation considered discriminatory against Muslims.

The ministry said late on Monday that it had called in Pakistan's charge d'affaires to mark "our surprise and our disapproval (of Alvi's remarks), given that the bill contains no discriminatory element."

"It is guided by the basic principles of freedom of religion and conscience, makes no distinction between the different religions and applies therefore equally to all faiths," the ministry claimed.

French lawmakers passed the bill — originally dubbed the "anti-separatism" bill — at the French National Assembly last week, with 347 legislators voting in favor, 151 against, and 65 abstaining.

The legislation expands the ability of the state to close places of worship and religious schools, as well as to ban preachers. It also tightens rules on the funding of mosques, associations, and non-governmental organizations belonging to Muslims.

Addressing a conference on religion on Saturday, Pakistani President Alvi said, "When you see that laws are being changed in favor of a majority to isolate a minority, that is a dangerous precedent."

"I urge the political leadership of France not to entrench these attitudes into laws... You have to bring people together, not stamp a religion in a certain manner and create disharmony among the people or create bias," the Pakistani president said.

The bill, which rights advocates consider discriminatory against Muslims, has prompted protests in France.

Protesters urge French government to revoke anti-Muslim bill

People take to the streets of the French capital, Paris, to protest against a controversial bill, which they consider discriminatory against Muslims.

The bill was introduced by French President Emmanuel Macron last year supposedly to stamp out what he called "Islamist separatism" following the murder of a school teacher by a Muslim teenager of Chechen origin.

Teacher Samuel Paty was murdered after he showed his students insulting caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) earlier published by the magazine Charlie Hebdo. The assailant was killed by French police near the scene of the attack.

The French government says the bill will strengthen the country's secular principles, but critics argue it targets the Muslim community and imposes restrictions on almost every aspect of their lives.

In October last year, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan slammed Macron for promoting Islamophobia by "attacking Islam," after the French president criticized Islam and defended the publication of defamatory cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

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