Macron's ultimatum to Muslims: You have two weeks left.

 

Macron's ultimatum to Muslims: You have two weeks left.

President Macron's proposal to counter Islamic radicalization has taken on a new tone following the assassination of a teacher in Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron has now given the French Muslim Council (CFCM) a 15-day ultimatum to accept a charter on French values.

The demand comes after the recent Islamist terrorist attacks in France and Austria.

Macron has strongly defended French secularism in the wake of the attacks, which included the beheading of a teacher who showed the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a class discussion last month.

President Macron has also announced new measures to address what he called "Islamist separatism" in France.

The measures include a comprehensive bill aimed at preventing radicalization.

It was presented on Wednesday and contains measures such as:

Restrictions on home schooling and harsher punishments for those who threaten public officials for religious reasons

Give the children an identification number according to the law that would be used to ensure that they go to school. Parents who break the law can face up to six months in prison and large fines

A ban on sharing a person's personal information in a way that allows them to be located by people who want to harm them

The bill will be discussed by the French government on 9 December.

Earlier this year, President Macron described Islam as a religion "in crisis" and defended the newspapers' right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Such depictions are widely regarded as taboo in Islam and are considered very offensive by many Muslims.

After these comments, the French leader became a hate figure in several countries with a Muslim majority. Protesters have also demanded a boycott of French products.

In France, state secularism (laïcité) is central to the country's national identity. Freedom of expression in schools and other public spaces is part of it, and restricting it to protect the feelings of a particular religion is seen as undermining national unity.

France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.