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WORLD NEWS Thursday 10 december 2020
France unveils draft law to fight Islamist radicalism

By ELAINE GANLEY be declared if it exceeds
Associated Press 10,000 euros ($12,000).
PARIS (AP) — The French The draft bill also overhauls
government unveiled a France's much-cherished
draft law Wednesday 1905 law separating church
aimed at better arming and state and guarantee-
France against Islamist radi- ing a secular nation in or-
calism, a project promoted der to modernize and clar-
by President Emmanuel ify matters of faith, Castex
Macron to root out what he said.
calls "separatists" undermin- Changes in "morals, prac-
ing the nation. tices and threats" make
France has suffered numer- modifications necessary
ous Islamist terrorist attacks, to the secularism law and
including the gruesome an older 1901 law govern-
beheading of a teacher ing associations, the prime
who had showed his class minister said.
cartoons of Islam's prophet. In a section on human dig-
The proposed legislation nity, the draft law would
targets home schools, make it a crime punishable
mosques or associations by fines and up to one year
that promulgate an ide- in prison for a doctor to pro-
ology running counter to vide a young woman with
French values, which au- French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti gestures as he speaks during a media conference at a certificate that she's a vir-
thorities have called the "Is- the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, Des. 9 ,2020. gin, sometimes demanded
lamist hydra." Associated Press ahead of Muslim marriage
With claims by some that ceremonies.
the draft law is too soft, or a stressed that it "is not a text dangerous because it "is da. To do away with forced
political maneuver by Ma- against religions or against the manifestation of a con- Another article encourag- marriages, a measure re-
cron ahead of 2022 presi- the Muslim religion in par- scious, theorized, political- es mosques to register as quires the couple to meet
dential elections to capture ticular." Instead, he said, it religious project with an places of worship, so as to separately for an interview
followers on the far right, it is "a bill of freedom, a bill of ambition to make religious better identify them. Many with an official when there
is likely to see lively debate protection, a bill of eman- norms predominate over of the nation's more than is a doubt about free con-
when it goes before Parlia- cipation from Islamist fun- the law," he said. France 2,600 mosques, which often sent. If the doubt persists,
ment in coming months. damentalism" or other ide- "intends to defend itself," have Quranic schools at- the official must take the
The topic is delicate be- ologies pursuing the same Castex added. tached, currently operate issue to a prosecutor, who
cause of the large Muslim goals. Among notable measures under rules for associations. could forbid the marriage.
population in France, es- Castex, speaking at a news is making school obligatory In addition, a judge can Those practicing polygamy
timated at 5 million. The conference after the draft from age 3, allowing the forbid anyone convicted would be forbidden French
proposed law, with the title law was presented to Cabi- option of home schooling of provoking terrorism, dis- residence cards.
"Supporting Republican net, said those who seek to in special cases only. The crimination, hate or vio- Macron spelled out in a
Principles," directly men- "divide, and spread hate measure is aimed at end- lence from frequenting speech in October his rea-
tions neither Islam, Islamism and violence" are at the ing so-called clandestine mosques. Foreign fund- sons for wanting to tackle
nor Muslims. heart of "separatism." schools run by fundamen- ing for mosques, while not Islamist extremism in all its
Prime Minister Jean Castex Separatism is especially talists with their own agen- forbidden, would have to forms. q

U.N. rights chief expects U.S. will be 'much better' under Biden

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N hu- Bachelet hailed "a series ing that she knew Biden
man rights chief says she of promising pledges" by "very well" from his time
expects the U.S. administra- Biden, on issues like increas- as U.S. vice president and
tion of President-elect Joe ing the number of refu- her tenure as president of
Biden will be "much, much gees resettled in the United Chile. "I'm really hopeful on
better" when it comes to States, an end to construc- that."
human rights, and warned tion of the wall on the U.S.- Bachelet also expressed
of shrinking "democratic Mexico border and "an concerns about "the rap-
space" in Hong Kong — overhaul of the asylum sys- idly shrinking civic and
saying her office will be tem." She said she hoped democratic space" in Hong
monitoring the rights situa- the U.S. would return to Kong since the passage of
tion there. the U.N.-backed Human a national security law in
Michelle Bachelet spoke Rights Council, from which China last year. She said
to reporters in Geneva in a the Trump administration more people have been
catch-all news conference pulled out amid allegations arrested and charges with
to recap the year and look of anti-Israel bias and an offenses like unauthorized Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
speaks about 2020 and looking ahead to 2021, during a press
ahead to 2021. She cited excessive acceptance of assembly. conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations
concerns about the in- governments with dismal "Recent convictions of ac- in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020.
equalities exposed by the human rights records. tivists for protests that took Associated Press
COVID-19 pandemic and "For human rights. I think it place last year risk causing
systemic racism like that (the Biden administration) a wider, chilling effect on believe that peaceful pro- "We will continue to moni-
highlighted by the Black will be much, much, much the exercise of fundamen- test should never be crimi- tor the situation closely,"
Lives Matter movement. better," said Bachelet, not- tal freedoms," she said. "We nalized." Bachelet added.q