Tuesday, April 22, 2003

It seems at least one French politician can see what is happening.

France needs a new law to reassert secular values in its state schools against growing radical Islamic trends among Muslim pupils and a related rise in anti-Semitism, Education Minister Luc Ferry said on Tuesday.

Ferry said France, home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish minorities, faced unprecedented challenges from a new anti-Semitism fed by Muslim radicals rather than far-right bigots who traditionally supported anti-Jewish views.

Hmmm, he leaves out the far-left bigots who turn out to support those Muslim Radicals, though.

There are some other things that still elude Ferry.

''We have to reaffirm very strongly the principles of republican secularism against the rise of 'communitarism', racism and anti-Semitism,'' Ferry told Europe 1 radio. ''That requires a new law,'' he said, adding he would introduce one next year.

Yes, yes. Another law banning hatred of Jews and supporting our "republican secularism" should do the trick. Try enforcing what you have on the books already.

I was wrong, he does bring up the left-wing. In the form of teachers and unquestioning support for Palestinians.

Ferry said anti-Semitism, which official reports say grew sharply last year, was spreading because of growing Islamic radicalism and the lax attitude of left-wing teachers who openly sympathised with the Palestinians against Israel.

''There is such leniency towards the Palestinian cause that they tolerate anti-Semitic insults not for the motives that inspire the far right'' but out of sympathy for victims, he said.

Those kinds of comments could get him fired. I willl be eagerly waiting to see what comes of this. It could turn into a battle to save France. But how many voices will side with Ferry. Not the far-left or the far-right or many of those 5,000,000 Muslims.

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