TheMediaLine
WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE TO CHANGE THE MISINFORMATION
about the
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR?
What Will Happen to France’s Arabs and Muslims?

What Will Happen to France’s Arabs and Muslims?

Al Arabiya, London, April 22

The question of what would happen to France’s Muslims if Marine Le Pen wins the presidential elections has become more pressing in recent weeks, especially after the far-right candidate managed to soften her tone and close the gap with President Emmanuel Macron. However, once we take a deeper look at Le Pen’s political platform, it becomes clear that one of her first decisions after stepping into office will be to immediately deport all those Muslims residing in France who have not yet obtained permanent residency. Further, those who planned to relocate to France to find employment or are looking to do so now will face more difficulties than ever before. Similarly, the suffering of Muslim women will double as they will be prevented from wearing their hijabs in public, forcing them to pay a financial fine in the event of their noncompliance. Although Macron’s government imposed restrictions on Muslims in some areas of life, these restrictions don’t even compare to what awaits Muslims in the event that Le Pen wins. It is expected that the tightening of restrictions on Arabs and Muslims will be part of a change in domestic policy beyond what Le Pen is capable of on foreign policy. For example, if she wanted France to leave the European Union, Le Pen would have to hold a referendum similar to the one that took place in Britain. This decision would be unlikely to pass a public vote. As for NATO, the most Le Pen can do is announce France’s unilateral withdrawal from the unified military command, as De Gaulle did. Everything else depends on the composition of the new parliament that will be elected next June or on resorting to referenda whose results are not guaranteed. Therefore, Le Pen’s primary focus is going to be domestic. And France’s Arab and Muslim communities will likely be the biggest victims. –Waheed Abd Al-Majeed (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)

TheMediaLine
WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE TO CHANGE THE MISINFORMATION
about the
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR?
Personalize Your News
Upgrade your experience by choosing the categories that matter most to you.
Click on the icon to add the category to your Personalize news
Browse Categories and Topics