French Muslim Groups Censure Macron-pushed Charter of Principles of Islam

Three major Muslim organizations in France have censured the government-drafted “charter of principles” of Islam, insisting that the document will likely undermine “the honor of Muslims.” “We believe that certain passages and formulations in the text submitted are likely to weaken the bonds of trust between the Muslims of France and the nation,” said the three groups — which make up the nine-member French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM). “Furthermore, some statements are prejudicial to the honor of Muslims, with an accusatory and marginalizing tone,” they added in a Friday statement, referring to the text of a so-called anti-extremism charter pushed by the country’s President Emmanuel Macron. Macron has enraged Muslims world-wide by publicly supporting publication of a derogatory image of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and describing the Abrahamic faith of nearly 1.8 billion people as a “religion in crisis.” “We obviously agree with the demand for non-interference by States, the non-instrumentalization of religions and respect for the Constitution and the principles of the Republic,” the joint statement added. Only five out of nine groups that make up the CFCM, a body set up nearly 20 years ago to supposedly enable dialogue between the French government and the country’s large Muslim community, have signed up to the charter after weeks of internal disputes and occasionally bitter debates. The three institutions — the Coordination Committee of Turkish Muslims in France (CCMTF), the Millî Görüş Islamic Confederation (CMIG) and the Faith and Practice movement — declared on Wednesday that they decided against signing the charter that was approved and submitted to Macron. They said it was approved without obtaining the full consensus of other integral components of the CFCM, including the regional and departmental councils and imams who will be impacted by the decision. The development came days after dozens of civil society organizations called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to open formal infringement procedures against the French government for entrenching Islamophobia.

“We believe that certain passages and formulations in the text submitted are likely to weaken the bonds of trust between the Muslims of France and the nation,” said the three groups — which make up the nine-member French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM).

“Furthermore, some statements are prejudicial to the honor of Muslims, with an accusatory and marginalizing tone,” they added in a Friday statement, referring to the text of a so-called anti-extremism charter pushed by the country’s President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron has enraged Muslims world-wide by publicly supporting publication of a derogatory image of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and describing the Abrahamic faith of nearly 1.8 billion people as a “religion in crisis.”

“We obviously agree with the demand for non-interference by States, the non-instrumentalization of religions and respect for the Constitution and the principles of the Republic,” the joint statement added.

Only five out of nine groups that make up the CFCM, a body set up nearly 20 years ago to supposedly enable dialogue between the French government and the country’s large Muslim community, have signed up to the charter after weeks of internal disputes and occasionally bitter debates.

The three institutions — the Coordination Committee of Turkish Muslims in France (CCMTF), the Millî Görüş Islamic Confederation (CMIG) and the Faith and Practice movement — declared on Wednesday that they decided against signing the charter that was approved and submitted to Macron.

They said it was approved without obtaining the full consensus of other integral components of the CFCM, including the regional and departmental councils and imams who will be impacted by the decision.

The development came days after dozens of civil society organizations called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to open formal infringement procedures against the French government for entrenching Islamophobia.

Source: Press TV

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