French values must apply to all irrespective of faith

Politicians in France must not use Paty’s death as a reason to spread Islamophobia

It is a littlemore than a week ago since schoolteacher SamuelPatywas beheaded inaheinous actofmurder in the northern Paris suburb of Egrany. An 18- yearoldextremistwas shot deadbypolice in the aftermath of the killing and about a dozen others arrested. Paty’s death is a very sad case indeed, and he has been posthumously awarded France’s highest honour as tens of thousands took to the streets in displays of solidarity with the victim’s family and those in the teaching profession.

Sadly too, Paty’s death is also being considered an opportunity by some to stoke divisions and tensions within French society, with expressions of Islamphobia and anti- Muslim sentiments coming to the fore. TwoMuslim womenwere stabbed under the Eiffel Tower onWednesday as the perpetrator shouted racial epithets.

The act of one deranged extremist cannot and must not be used as an excuse to condemn an entire peaceloving segment of French society based solely on a gross misinterpretation and misrepresentation of faith.

Would the act of a deranged man in killing some 50 Muslims as they prayed in mosques in Christchurch be representative of the Christian faith and the millions who subscribe to the faith’s central tenets? Clearly not. The vastmajority, regardless of creed or colour, are horrified by this act of singular madness of one individual. Likewise, the vast majority are horrified too by the brutality surrounding the incidence of Paty’s death. Sadly though, there are those who opportunely seize on the case and stoke tensions and divisions.

Within 18 months, President Emmanuel Macron faces re- election — a tough campaign given all that has happened within France, Europe and beyond. Yes, no one could have predicted the coronavirus pandemic and the economic fallout that followed. For any leader who has had tomake difficult and largely unprecedented choices these pastmonths, the prospect of hitting the campaign trail will be daunting. But we must urge President Macron not to use Paty’s death as a reason to seek political support from elements in French society who view otherswith suspicion and doubt. There are too many on the French political stage willing to go that route.

On Wednesday, President Macron eulogised Paty as a true hero of the French Republic. It’sworth stating those values of liberty, fraternity and equality apply to all within France — and must be applied to French treatment of the Muslim community.