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Fez – The far-right French journalist Eric Zemmour is again embroiled in a controversy about Islam and French values after tweeting on Monday an excerpt of his presidential program about the need to defang Islam.
Evocatively titled “Islam program,” the policy recommendation of the Islamphobic and anti-migrant pundit turned politician announces a number of measures aimed at countering Islam’s supposedly growing and negative impact on French society and culture.
Zemmour, who presents himself as the savior of French identity and France’s “republican values” amid an “Islamic invasion,” unveiled his “Islam Program” during the “Zone interdite” show on French television channel M6.
Internet users rubbished the Islam– and migrants-bashing program as soon as the far-right commentator made it public.
But Zemmour later shared parts of the program on Twitter, captioning: “We will reconquer France.” The program, as shown on Twitter, covers three axes: “impose discretion,” stop indoctrination, and prevent foreign influences.
Zemmour says he intends to “impose discretion” by banning the hijab (Islamic veil) in public spaces as well as prohibiting the instruction and the construction of minarets and mosques.
Read also: Eric Zemmour: Mohammed Is Not a French Name, Should Be Banned
As for the “Stop indoctrination” part, Zemmour says that, in addition to outlawing movements like the “Muslim Brotherhood,” he wants to once and for all shut down all the “places that promote jihad.”
The program also entails the imposition of a strict control of imams and Islamic foreign funding, which is what Zemmour termed “preventing foreign influences.” As part of this initiative, he pledged to systematically expel foreigners who could represent a threat to public order, especially those on the French watchlist known as S list.
Even as Zeemour tried to sell his program as not systemically against Islam and Muslims and only targetting “Islamist” elements that pose genuine threats to French security and values, many Twitter users lambasted the far-right pundit for the unmistakbale Islamhobia and racism of his program. One commenter even suggested that Zemmour’s platform was facists, commenting: “Hitler had done something similar during his rise to power.”
The “Islam program” controversy comes just two days after Zemmour targetted France’s Muslims when he vowed to “make sure they respect France” if elected as president.
Also recently, Zemmour was fined €10,000 last month for inciting hatred against unaccompanied migrant minors.
