A French “philosopher” speaks of the “number of Muslims” as we once spoke of reducing the number of Jews: the CFCM seizes the ARCOM.
The French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) reacted strongly to controversial remarks made by the intellectual Pierre Manent on December 5, 2024 on Figaro TV, where he affirmed that it was necessary to limit the demographic growth of Muslims in Europe to avoid “dramas”. The CFCM describes these statements as discriminatory, racist and contrary to republican principles.
In a press release, the CFCM recalls that Muslims, like all citizens, are full members of the nation, protected by the rule of law. The Council warns of the dangers of such rhetoric, compared to that of anti-Semites like Édouard Drumont, who have fueled historical tragedies.
The CFCM also announced its intention to contact the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom). This approach aims to denounce the lack of moderation and contradiction on television sets, which have become, according to the CFCM, platforms for hate speech and stigmatization.
The CFCM calls for a firm reaction from the authorities to ensure that the Republic remains faithful to its principles of liberty, equality and fraternity for all.
CFCM press release
“A French “philosopher” speaks of the “number of Muslims” as we used to talk to reduce the number of Jews: the CFCM refers the matter to ARCOM.
“The pressure is such that we have to make decisions regarding the number of Muslims in Europe. It cannot grow at the current rate otherwise we will face tragedies that no version of secularism will be able to control. »
This statement, pronounced by Pierre Manent on Thursday December 5, 2024 on Figaro TV as part of a program devoted to secularism, is deeply shocking. Behind its supposedly factual appearance hides an explicitly discriminatory, racist and dangerous rhetoric.
Muslims are not “pests” whose supposed proliferation should be controlled. No human group should be considered as a variable to be adjusted within the Nation. In a democracy, Muslims, like any other citizen, are individuals in their own right, protected by the rule of law and free in their beliefs and convictions.
How, in the country of Human Rights, can we, with complete impunity, call for reducing the number of a component which is an integral part of the nation? How could we forget the lessons of recent history and the tragic consequences that such speeches have generated?
Not so long ago, Édouard Drumont and Maurice Barrès made similar remarks against the Jews, evoking a so-called “bringing to the nation” or accusing Jewish immigration of “modifying the very substance of the French people”. These speeches, far from being anecdotal, have led to abysses that we should commit ourselves to never re-experiencing.
Extremism is not just a word: the terrorist responsible for the deaths of 51 Muslim worshipers in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was directly inspired by the theory of the “great replacement”, popularized by the far-right writer Renaud Camus. These tragedies show how words can kill.
Today, television sets supposed to be spaces for informed debate are too often transformed into forums where certain “intellectuals” spout hate speech, without serious contradiction. What should be a place of reflection then becomes a theater of conspiratorial propaganda, stigmatization and trivialization of racism.
Associating the word “drama” with Muslims as a whole reveals a much darker truth. Behind the pretext of criticizing a religion, it is the individuals who are its followers who are directly targeted. This strategy of dissimulation fools no one: it is the person, and not the faith, who is stigmatized.
The real tragedy is that a certain class of intellectuals systematically exceed the limits of morality and reason when it comes to Islam and Muslims. It is urgent that these excesses be denounced and punished, so that the Republic remains faithful to its principles of liberty, equality and fraternity for all.
Paris, December 9, 2024
French Council of Muslim Worship
