Liberté, Égalité, Laïcité: Terror and Secularism in France

By Drew Hopkins ‘24

On October 16th, 2020, France and the world were shocked by the brutal beheading of middle school teacher Samuel Paty mere meters from his school. This act of violence was carried out by an Islamic terrorist. Days later, another terrorist attacked a church in the city of Nice, stabbing 3 people to death, including a 60 year old woman. The attack against Samuel Paty was not random -- French law enforcement determined that Mr. Paty was targeted for showing controversial cartoons of the prophet Muhammed to his class in a lesson about freedom of speech. These cartoons were originally published in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, and outrage over their publication culminated in armed terrorists attacking the magazine’s headquarters, murdering 12 people in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in France’s history. The attack led to an outpouring of support from the French people, as well as a condemnation of the violence from many French Muslims. However, the new round of attacks has proven that there are still deep, unresolved tensions in French society. France has Europe’s largest Muslim community, comprising an estimated 10% of the country’s population. It also has one of the strongest secular traditions in the Western world. French President Emmanuel Macron’s subsequent response to the 2020 terrorist attacks was swift and decisive: he vehemently condemned the use of violence, defended the right to publish offensive caricatures, and began to crack down on “political Islam,” a term used by French authorities to describe the use of Islam to justify a political agenda. Additionally, he called upon Muslim leaders to accept a “charter of republican values,” which would assert the apolitical nature of Islam and enforce secularism. The recent violence and the French government’s response have highlighted questions about freedom of speech, religious liberty, and France’s unique brand of secularism. 

The French secular tradition, which dates all the way back to the French Revolution’s Civil Constitution of the Clergy, is often epitomized by a single word: laïcité. Laïcité is a term broadly used to embody French secularism. The main difference between laïcité and other forms of secularism is that while the latter may be described as “freedom of religion,” the former is “freedom from religion.” According to the guiding principles of laïcité, any and all religious symbols are excised from the public space -- religious symbols are banned from schools, face coverings are not allowed in public, and nativity scenes are not permitted in public buildings, amongst other measures. Rather than being focused on the protection of individual freedoms, French secularism is designed to build national fraternity and separate completely matters of the state from those of the church. The separation of church and state is taken very seriously in France to the point where seemingly innocuous things, such as a swimsuit designed for muslim women, are banned in certain municipalities for their religous implications. This tradition has received criticism from both inside and outside of France, especially from France’s Muslim population, who view laïcité as restricting their ability to freely practice their faith. Many Muslims consider regulated body coverings, such as the hijab and burqa, to be important aspects of their religion; despite this, the hijab is banned in public schools while the burqa is banned from public spaces entirely. Leaders in Muslim countries have also labeled the French approach as Islamaphobic, with Turkish President Erdogan calling for a boycott of French goods after Macron’s denunciation of political Islam. However, the French government and the majority of the French people have stood steadfastly in support of the principles of laïcité, especially in the aftermath of the 2020 terror attacks, which were seen as an assault on freedom of speech and secularism. 

Understanding the unique nature of French secularism is key to understanding the French government’s response to the recent terror attacks, as well as why many French Muslims feel so discontented. The actions taken by the French government following the terrorist attacks may be confusing to many, and have been labeled by Muslim leaders as Islamaphobic, yet they perfectly align with France’s history of restricting the role of religion in the public sphere. As a part of this effort, the government introduced a number of measures designed to depoliticize Islam in France, including the formation of a National Council of Imams. The government has further clamped down on polygamy, offered protection and support to moderate Muslim community leaders, punished doctors who take part in “virginity tests,” facilitated the shutting down of foreign funding for mosques, and greatly restricted homeschooling for religious reasons. One of Macron’s primary concerns is the idea of “Islamic separatism,” a term used to describe the trend of young Muslims withdrawing from mainstream French society in favor of religious fundamentalism. However, some have voiced concerns that the aggressive secularism of France is the very thing that is driving radicalization and political Islam, with 44 % of French Muslims feeling that the rest of society has “little regard” for them. Much of the Muslim world feels similarly; Macron has become a figure of scorn for much of the Middle East, where he is seen as “anti-islam.” In spite of this backlash, Macron and the French government have remained steadfastly committed to the freedom of speech and secularism, refusing to sacrifice any part of the French identity in order to appease the wishes of a specific faith. Macron has additionally never backed down from praising the murdered Samuel Paty, proclaiming him a hero for representing the right to criticize and even mock religion.

To understand the relationship France has with its Muslim population, it is important to understand the central role that laïcité holds in the French political identity, as to many French citizens it is as integral as the trio of liberté, egalité, and fraternité. While it may be the most controversial of the four, it is as much a part of France as the rest.