Free Speech with a Caveat
French President, Macron, must have realized that he was ill advised, and his plan to malign and scapegoat Muslims backfired badly. Scoring political points at the expense of the Muslims has always worked for a good number of unscrupulous politicians. This time however, Macron kicked the hornets’ nest and has now shifted to damage control mode.
He turned to Al Jazeera, unarguably the TV station with the broadest and largest viewership. Ironically, this is the same TV channel that France and its allies has smeared as giving terrorists a platform. Macron needed to adjust his gladiator posture when he disparaged Islam as religion in crisis. His tough guy attitude also needed an adjustment when he defiantly stated that France will not back down and won’t be censoring the caricatures defaming the prophet of 1.6 billion residents of this planet.
By the time Macron sat down with Al Jazeera journalist, the call to boycott French made product gained so much traction. France sources tried to play down the impact of the boycott. Social media Knights and surrogates that France deputized to ridicule the boycott did nothing to slow the momentum. French Market performance plunged into the red. The hurting “patrons” has to step in and bridle the runaway amateur and order him to curb his political bravado.
Giving Macron air time was a win-win situation for both. I would argue that Al Jazeera has achieved a ranking where it’s too comfortable to be chasing ratings. It’s Macron that stands to gain more for this encounter. This was not exactly the case of one hand washing the other. Macron swallowed his pride and asked to sit on the same platform that he has often accused to be promoting the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood. The only thing that should be reproached to AL Jazeera is all the softball that Macron was served. Al Jazeera landed a golden opportunity to excoriate the man and his regime for being the purveyor of blatant hypocrisy and falsehoods.
Macron claims that Islam and the prophet are not going to exempt from the mockery and the debasing that other religions and their prophet have been subjected to. Macron praises the age old tradition of not muffling voices and letting people enjoy free and unfettered artistic and political expression. it’s neither possible nor wise to make the case against freedom of expression. But Equally impossible to refute what we all hold true that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. France recent history is mired with cases that fly in the face of Macron’s claim. A quick search on the net exposes French laws as allowing Freedom of expression with a caveat. Yes, the laws of the land seem to encourage freedom of thought so long as you don’t think like Roger Garoudy, Dieudonné, and others. Freedom of expression is guaranteed but the writings are on the walls. The thought police has yet to be dissolved and for the most part it tends to patrol Muslim minds only.
Macron’s message on Al Jazeera was that his intention was never to offend Muslims and that the French government harbors no ill feelings towards the Muslims. It was very clear that he was trying to walk his statement back but he back pedaled right into a wall. His actual words after the murder of the teacher did nothing but stock the fire of animosity. But, let’s assume for the heck of it that the vilifying caricatures were not reflecting the government’s position. Macron should know that neither are the calls for the crippling boycott. This boycott was a spontaneous popular show of indignation that caught on like wild fire. Muslims are starting to realized that anger is impotent. Violent protests, vandalism, and the destruction of public and private property are the best way to be counterproductive. Muslims are starting to learn that policies can be shaped with the way one behaves as a consumer. As it turned out, our wallets can make a more convincing case that massive protests and petitions.
French interior Minister, Gérald Darmani, decided to join the conversation. He lamented the ubiquity of ethnic foods in French supermarkets as a sign of “Communitarism”. My guess is that this Grandson of an Algerian immigrant does not get out much to see how French expats are living in foreign countries. French migrants need to educate their minister about the kind of “communitarism” that they have established in receiving countries. They have their own clubs, their own libraries, their own schools where their kids don’t mingle with others. I won’t mention anything about their specialty foods that others love and appreciate. They basically have their own mini enclaves.
Mr. Darmani cringes at the sight of ethnic food inside super markets, yet, the nearly two billion Muslims whose prophet gets disparaged should grow some thick skin. This is a high ranking government official who blurts out the most vile and divisive rhetoric but still maintains that his utterances are his own personal opinions. In other words, he wants the prestige and the impunity that comes with the gig but he is not ready to forfeit the luxury of no consequences extended only to a private citizen. These sort of statements do nothing but alienate Muslims and induce the feeling of otherness. No wonder why even fourth generation French Muslims can’t help but feel stripped of what should be a natural feeling of belonging and full-fledged citizenship. French intellectual, Françoit Burgat poignantly commented in front a parliamentary commission that “a good Muslim in France is one who is no longer a Muslim”. Mr. Burgat exposed France’s double standards and pulled the veil off its forked tongue.
Journalist, researcher, Community advocate, College professor and ardent believer in the promise of Study Abroad Programs. He can be followed on twitter @watchdog77
