French Muslim Council Challenges Philosopher’s Controversial Remarks on Islam in Europe

The CFCM is unhappy with Pierre Manent. At the origin of this discontent, the remarks made by the French philosopher on Thursday, December 5, 2024 on Figaro TV in the context of a program devoted to secularism. "The pressure is such that decisions must be made concerning the number of Muslims in Europe. It cannot grow at the current rate, otherwise we will face dramas that no version of secularism will be able to control," he declared, causing a general outcry.

"Muslims are not ’pests’ whose supposed proliferation must be controlled. No human group should be considered a variable to be adjusted within the Nation. In a democracy, Muslims, like any other citizen, are full-fledged persons, protected by the rule of law and free in their beliefs and convictions," the CFCM hammered in a press release.

"How, in the country of Human Rights, can one, with total impunity, call for reducing the number of a component that is an integral part of the nation? How could we have forgotten the lessons of recent history and the tragic consequences that such speeches have generated?" questions the Muslim organization, recalling that "not so long ago, Édouard Drumont and Maurice Barrès held similar remarks against the Jews, evoking a supposed "putting to the glebe of the nation" or accusing "Jewish immigration" of modifying "the very substance of the French people".

Stressing that extremism is not just a word, the CFCM recalls that "the terrorist responsible for the death of 51 Muslim worshippers in two mosques in