THE CRITICISM

There are an estimated 5 million Muslims in France. The proposed law directly mentions neither Islam nor Islamism, in an effort to avoid stigmatising Muslims.

But Macron was accused by critics of pandering to the far-right ahead of the presidential elections in 2022. One remark from him in particular in the aftermath of last year’s terror attacks —“Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world” — drew fierce criticism overseas.